A New Kind of Different
by Let-The-Time-Fly
Summary: Astrid Hofferson knew exactly who she was. Straight A student and resting at the top of the high school food chain without a care of what anyone thought of her. But when she is paired up with the only person that is smarter then her for an English project, she finds herself questioning what she really wants in her life. Modern AU. Rated T for swearing and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Routine

Astrid hates Mondays. She's always hated Mondays. Especially Mondays after huge high school parties that Scott drags her off too. God she should not have let her boyfriend drag her off to the party. Not only does she have tests in Calculus and AP Physics, but she also has a softball game today.

She groans as she gets up, a killer headache forming as all the blood rushes to her face. She doubles over from the pain that today's hangover had brought her. She can feel the pulse in her temple beating in sync with her heart. She most definitely should _not_ have gone to that party.

Stupid boyfriend. Stupid school. Stupid headache. Stupid everything.

She crosses the hallway to the bathroom, careful not to wake up her father. She does not want to deal with her _father_ right now. Stupid parents. Or actually parent. Her coward of a mother had run away when she was five and she always despised her for that. Two more things to add to her list.

She hates the way that her father runs her into the ground when she gets anything but an A in her classes. Hates the way he points out all her flaws when she is up batting in softball. Hates the way he gets when he's drunk.

He gives her no praise for being the captain of the varsity softball team for two years, no praise for being at the top of her class. Well close enough to the top. She has never been able to pass this one guy who is in every single one of her classes. Except gym because he just _had_ to take more AP classes than she did.

God that kid. She didn't even know his name. Well she knew what everyone called him. _Hiccup_. That's the name he was given almost six years ago. Six years ago during an assembly where he spoke in front of the entire class and he could not stop his hiccups.

Six years ago, Scott gave him that name. It stuck on him like a piece of gum in his messy, auburn hair. Why was she even thinking about his hair? She hated the fact that she remembered that day six years ago so clearly and so vividly.

That was the only day she had felt some form of sympathy for anyone.

She did not think that he deserved a name like that. He didn't deserve to be treated like that. To be called by a different name for six years. To only hear your real name when the teachers called for attendance in the beginning of the year only for Scott or Tuff to tell them that he goes by "Hiccup" followed by the entire class snickering to themselves.

Almost everyone, including the small amount of friends he had, in school would recognize him by that name if they even recognized him at all.

 _Almost_ everyone. She never called him that before. At least not to his face. That's probably because she hasn't really recognized him at all despite the fact that he sits next to her in almost every class because of how close their names are in the alphabet.

Stupid seating charts.

She didn't see any reason to be directly mean to him. Sure she was a bit rude sometimes, okay maybe a lot of times, but she was never straight up mean to him. She supposed that since he was always kind to her, that she should at least just leave out his nickname.

But she hated how he always topped her in every single subject. Whenever she got a 100% on a test, he would get a 103%, whenever she got an 8 on an AP essay, he would get a 9. Whenever her essay was recognized as the top essay in the class, his essay would be recognized as the top essay in _all_ the classes.

And she hated that. She hated not being the best. Because she was the best at everything else.

When she finally finished putting on a little bit of makeup and throwing on some clothes that would be acceptable, she made her way out the door. Careful not to wake up her resting father.

She walked over to the red mustang that her three-year boyfriend had come in. Of course Scott just had to bring Tuff with him. She was even more disappointed when her best friend Ruff hadn't been brought along with them. Probably suffering from the same blazing headache that she has right now.

She always enjoyed Rachel's, or Ruff as she prefers it, company. She enjoyed having another girl in this school that was similar in ferocity to her.

But today, she just wanted quiet. Just wanted to let the Advil settle in and conquer her killer headache.

But of course, Scott and Tuff had other plans. She could already hear the blazing music the moment she stepped up to the car door and figured that they must be so used to binging beer at parties that it finally has no effect on them.

When she opened the door her headache just seemed to get infinitely stronger.

"Hey babe! Come on get in the car! We're gonna stop by a few more places to pick up some more dudes!"

God it was barely 7:15 and her temper was already reaching way past her comfort level.

"Fuck you Scott. Pick them up on your own."

"Come on babe, it'll be fun! Maybe we can toss some empty cans at Hiccup down the street."

Her anger just seemed to grow even more at the thought of that. She didn't like how her anger grew because of _Hiccup_.

"Just go pick up your fucking friends. Pick me up after school and make sure you don't bring your stupid friends either." She glared at Tuff and then Scott before storming off to the bus stop.

For any other normal couple, that would have been the aftermath of a huge fight or a breakup. But with her and Scott, that was just the way they carried through their conversations. Talking with him was more of an obligation than a choice.

All he ever talks about is football or a new position that he wants to try with her tonight. She hates talking to him or even being with him, but it just makes sense and she was going to leave it at that.

She was not sacrificing her status for some stupid boy.

As she walked over to the bus stop, she saw him. Dressed in a green sweater, jeans, and a pair of Adidas Neos; he would look like a complete idiot to anyone. But of course, he just had to be at the top of the class.

He was sitting on the bench in front of the bus stop alone. They were the only two people who used this bus stop and since she usually rode with Scott, he was always alone.

She thought he would acknowledge her presence just like every other guy in the school does with wandering eyes, but he didn't even turn at the sound of footsteps. She took a look at him and he was asleep. As usual.

He always slept in class. She wondered how he pulled of A's in all his classes by sleeping in all of them.

She kicked his foot and he jolted awake. He looked around and his eyes widened when he saw her standing in front of him. He held eye contact with her for a second before quickly looking down at the sidewalk in front of him.

His green eyes didn't even drift to any other part of her body. That was different.

"Scoot over." She instructed and he did so without looking at her. He was very different.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Different

Henry had never been much of a morning person. Or an afternoon person. Or a night person. He groaned as his alarm switched on to radio 100.9. It was 6:45am and he was annoyed with the fact that it was a Monday.

 _It should be illegal for tests to be given out on Mondays. Maybe I'll tell dad that,_ he thought to himself. It would be completely pointless to try and tell anything to his congressman father.

Stoick was never much of listener to anyone. Maybe that's why his mother left all those years ago.

He slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake up his huge black lab Toothless. But of course, Toothless could sense anything and quickly sprang out of bed and walked to the door, waiting for his master to come open it.

"Good morning to you too, bud."

As he opened the door, Toothless quickly ran downstairs to get food, no doubt. Henry slowly walked down the hall of the house, big enough for four families, to get to one of the ten bathrooms in the house.

He picked up the toothpaste bottle and squirted some toothpaste onto his toothbrush. When he was about to start brushing his teeth, he noticed how clear the toothpaste was. Only it wasn't toothpaste. He had actually just put Toothless's shampoo on his toothbrush.

Hiccup groaned as he hit his head against the wall. He was extremely tired from the night before. He wasn't tired from the studying he should have been doing for his tests in Calculus and AP Physics, but tired from catching up on his favorite show on Netflix.

He didn't need to study things he's known for a long time. Even the new things, he just absorbed them like a sponge. There was no need to even stay awake in his classes anymore. It was pointless.

Thinking about classes got him thinking about the one girl who has been in almost every single one of his classes this year, and the past two years. Her blonde hair, stunning blue eyes, freckled nose, and beautiful pink cheeks.

Astrid Hofferson.

The girl who had lived two houses down the street for the past 17 years. Henry was told that her parents moved in when her mother was pregnant with her. His father told him how her mother had left when she was five and how much it affected her father.

Henry wished that he could comfort her and he thought that since both of their mothers had left them, they would become friends. But wishes never come true.

She never really noticed him. She only acknowledged him when she absolutely needed too.

He wasn't surprised, really. She quickly became a part of the popular group in school. And in 9th grade, Scott had asked her out. A part of him hoped she would say no, but she said yes. He supposed it made sense. A popular guy and a popular girl. It only made sense.

But he hated how out of all the guys in the school, the girl of his dreams went out with the guy who had bullied him from the start. The guy who had given him the only name he is recognized by. _Hiccup_.

Henry didn't really hate the name, per say. He just hated the meaning behind it. The screw up, the useless, the fishbone, the hiccup. He wouldn't care if Astrid called him that though. Anything to get her to talk to him.

As Henry walked out the house after bidding Toothless goodbye, all he could think about was Astrid. How she wasn't necessarily mean to him but not exactly nice to him. Sure she'd never called him Hiccup before, but she never really called him anything at all.

As he sat down on the bench waiting for the bus, he glanced over his shoulder, hoping that the girl of his dreams would come down the bus stop and sit on the bench by him and talk to him. It would be a dream.

But dreams never do come true. So he decided to catch up on some sleep.

It wasn't long before he was jolted back awake by a girl. A girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckles.

Oh God, Astrid Hofferson was standing in front of him.

She told him to scoot over, which he did. And she sat next to him.

"What time does the bus usually come?" Her tone was slightly bitter. He hoped that his presence didn't aggravate her. But it probably did because he was, well, _Hiccup_.

"Around 7:30. But sometimes he is really late." He didn't know what to say next, so he went on his instinct and started rambling. "He says that there's traffic but there never is traffic here. I think that he just doesn't like teens and tried to milk the amount of time he has before he has to actually pick us up and take us to school without us being late. I don't blame him too much since the bus is really packed and –"

"Look, I would really appreciate it if you didn't talk because I have a huge headache and I am not in the mood for any talking. So shut up." God it must be his presence. _The Gods hate me_ , he thought.

Then she spoke up again.

"Look, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I've just had a long night and my boyfriend is being a dick right now." She didn't exactly apologize because Astrid Hofferson does not apologize to _anyone_ , but she felt that she needed some reconciliation to the one person that's different.

"Oh. Sorry to hear that. I'll shut up."

Henry was silently cheering to himself that she called her boyfriend a dick.

The silence wasn't awkward after that. She thought of it more as peaceful, if nothing else.

 _He was right,_ she thought as the bus came in 15 minutes later than he said it usually did.

When they got to the bus, he looked over his shoulder to her standing behind him and he slid aside to let her go on first.

"Go on ahead."

She didn't respond to that. She couldn't really think of anything to say. That had never happened to her before. Sure, some guys would hold the door open for her, but she could feel their eyes on her back as she walked past them. Hell, even her _boyfriend_ did that on the rare occasion he would do something like that for her.

But this time was different, he didn't look at her like she was some object, but then again he didn't look at her at all. She figured he must be nervous, because that kind of thing just doesn't happen. Right?

She was so confused by his action that she just took the first open seat near the front of the bus. She ignored all the people she knew and considered as "friends" who were calling for her to come sit with them at the back of the bus, which was far too crowded for her liking.

She didn't even feel his eyes on her back when she got on the bus, unlike all the other guys who had been staring at her chest from the back of the bus. Yeah, he has to be nervous. There's no other explanation for that.

There's no way that he's just genuinely that nice and respecting to her. Those guys just don't exist anymore. At least from what she's seen from her view at the top of the food chain. She frowned when he got on the bus. She couldn't figure him out.

She could figure most guys out. They usually fell into one category of the other: Gay or staring at her ass. But he wasn't either of those.

He looked around the bus for an open seat, and she looked back and saw how everyone had placed their bags in empty seats to keep him from sitting there. _Jerks,_ she thought.

"Hey come sit here," she said. He looked at her with wide eyes and his jaw dropped, then over his shoulder as if to check if she was really talking to him and then back to her. He looked so shocked.

"Come on, if you just keep staring then I'll let someone else sit here." She waved her hand and gestured for him to sit next to her.

As he sat down, all he could say was, "Thanks."

Astrid smiled to herself because she could hear the genuine gratefulness in his voice for not making him sit on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews on the last two chapters! I really appreciate it already.**

 **To Silver Blue Eyed Wolf, I really gotta tell you. Your stories are great! Don't be a downer on yourself. I really enjoyed your stories, especially the modern au with Hiccup having the hearing problem and Astrid being the runaway.**

 **And to address the questions, yes Astrid did respond to these advances. Her choices on that will be revealed later. Yes Hiccup will be good with mechanics. Thanks for the questions. I really appreciate the input.**

 **As for how constant my updates will be, my school year ends next week (woot woot). For now, I will try to update at least every other day (maybe every day like today) but I will be sure to say other wise.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3: Partners

"Hey come sit here."

 _Is she really talking to me? There's no way that_ the _Astrid Hofferson had just invited me to sit with her. She must be talking to someone behind me. That's gotta be it._

Hiccup looked over his shoulder, 100% sure that Scott or her best friend Ruff would be standing behind him, waiting for him to step aside. But all he saw was air and an impatient bus driver glaring at him. His head snapped back to Astrid almost fast enough to break his neck.

"Come on, if you just keep staring then I'll let someone else sit here."

 _Well come on Hiccup. This is your chance. Don't blow it this time._

He had to force his legs to move. Thinking about each step as he walked to her. One foot in front of the other. It seemed like hours before he finally sat down, a respectable distance away from her of course.

She just stared at him as if his head was on backwards. _God, do I look that bad? Maybe I should've picked the black sweater today,_ he thought.

Luckily, or unluckily, she didn't say anything. She just returned her gaze to her phone. Hiccup could feel his heart about to explode with his blood staining her blue shirt, red skirt, and jeans. She looked like a goddess in that. Most of the girls that are even remotely as high in the social chain as she is try to dress as provocatively as they can.

Tight shirts, too much makeup, and a little on the deep end with the v-neck shirts. But Astrid didn't care for any of that. She already looked amazing.

Hiccup remembered when she stopped caring so much about her makeup or how tight her pants were. When she finally stopped wearing makeup all together, Hiccup thought that he would go blind from her perfection.

Obviously he wasn't the only one who recognized her change in looks. Fucking Scott got to her first and asked her out on a date. Hiccup remembered that day so precisely. He remembers because Scott asked her out while she was at her locker. And his locker being right next to hers, he had to listen to every detail.

Scott came up and slammed his locker closed so he could lean on it while he got a good look at Astrid with that sheepish grin on his face, completely ignoring the fact that there was another person right there.

"Hey Astrid, I've noticed that you don't have a date to the winter formal. I think you could use a guy to take you. That guy being me."

Hiccup huffed to himself. Any idiot who was even remotely aware of who Astrid Hofferson was knew that she hated dances.

"I'm busy Scott. I can't go the dance and even if I could, I still wouldn't go."

 _There we go. Now here comes the rejection_ , Hiccup thought to himself silently cheering.

"Alright, how about we go get some food after school instead. Just you and me."

 _Oh come on Scott, you've lost already._

"Fine. I am hungry. But you're paying."

Hiccup was shocked and slightly hurt on the inside. He supposed he shouldn't care or decide what's right for a girl he's sure doesn't know he exists, but Scott isn't exactly a gentleman. He wasn't right for her. Hell, who was he kidding, they were perfect for each other. They are both athletic, both popular, and both attractive.

Who else was she going to go out with, him? The day _that_ happens is the day that Hiccup becomes the varsity quarterback.

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The bus ride was longer than she expected. She thought that they would go straight to school but of course there just had to be other kids who had to be picked up.

At least Hiccup wasn't talking to her.

She didn't know what she was doing, inviting _Hiccup_ to sit with her? It must be some weird post-drunk syndrome. He acted like she wasn't there, keeping a good distance between them.

She would catch him stealing the occasional glance at her, but those were more to make sure that she wasn't getting aggravated with him rather than checking her out. Weird.

This guy is really different.

Once they had arrived at Berk High School, they made their way down the long hallway to get to their lockers. Since they were also locker neighbors, they were going the same way. Hiccup was so red that he looked like a tomato. He was staring at the floor so intently as if it were the most interesting thing in the universe.

But Hiccup deviated into the first possible hallway he could take away from Astrid. She supposed that it was because he didn't want to be seen by Scott, who was making his way over to her with that stupid grin on her face.

"Hey babe, what took you so long to get here?"

"You decided that your friends were more important than I am you jerk." She pushed him out of her way to continue down the hall.

He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Oh come on, I owed them. There wasn't anything I could do. I'll drive you home tonight. Promise."

"You do realize I have a game tonight right?" She glared at him as she stopped by her locker.

"A game?" He had that panicked look on his face. The look when he got a D on his math test right before asking her to do the test corrections for him.

Of course he forgot.

"Yes my softball game. It's the last game of the season. You're still coming right?"

Scott looked around nervously, as if he suddenly wanted to be somewhere else.

"Ya... for sure. I'll be there."

He gave her a sloppy kiss and walked away. Astrid rolled her eyes as she walked down to her first period English class. She glared at everyone who wouldn't step aside for her. Astrid was the queen of the school and everyone knew that. No matter how sick she felt, she was going to hold her head high and not let anyone know how sick she feels right now.

As she walked through the high school commons, she couldn't help but overhear the whispers.

"Did you hear? She sat with _Hiccup_ on the bus. Can you believe that?"

"The school _weirdo_ and the school _hottie_ getting together? That's a first."

"I think he's secretly plotting on kidnapping her. She is pretty irresistible."

Astrid smirked to herself. The people in high school were so oblivious to the fact that she has ears and she can hear perfectly fine. She thought it was comical how quickly things get around Berk High School. The school was small enough for rumors to spread quickly, but it was big enough so that it would quickly be replaced by something else. She had to wonder to herself, is that all they thought of her? The school _hottie_?

 _Well, good,_ she thought. Better to keep her status held high. She was not going down on senior year. No way was she letting some nerd ruin her final year in high school. No way in hell. As Astrid walked into English class, a few minutes late, she glared at the teacher who glared right back. Luckily her teacher knew better than to send Astrid Hofferson down to the office for being tardy. She was a straight A student after all.

She took her seat next to Hiccup, who was asleep as usual. But she noticed how, for some reason, she was sitting on the edge of her seat, as far away from him as possible without falling on her ass. He's asleep, it's not like he's going to notice. Besides, who _cared_ if he noticed. She was Astrid Hofferson and he was … he was Hiccup. Unimportant in her perfect world.

Her teacher started to ramble on about an upcoming English project where a film adaptation to a Shakespearian play must be made. Hiccup was still asleep the entire time she was talking. Does he not sleep at night? Is he really sleeping? Does he just learn everything he needs to learn at his house during the night and just catch up on sleep in school? Or is he just the genius that everyone says he is? As he stirred in his sleep, Astrid couldn't help her eyes darting to him every time he shifted. She supposed that she just reacted that way in case he tried to make a move on her.

When Astrid finally started paying attention to the teacher, she groaned at the words that came out of her mouth.

"-and since you will be filming, you will be assigned partners for this project."

Astrid absolutely hated working with other people. Especially with people she hardly knows. She hated having to work with people who were not even as skilled as she was. No one on her softball team could match her stats and no one in school could top her grades. Except for…

"HADDOCK!" Mrs. Richards' voice boomed throughout the room, making even Astrid jump. Hiccup's head jumped up, eyelids still half closed and a piece of paper sticking to his forehead. Astrid couldn't help the small laugh that came out of her mouth. _That was strange, I don't laugh. Oh right, I'm laughing_ at _him. Yeah that's it._

"Did you listen to a single word I said?! Or do I bore you to the point where you can't pay attention for more than five minutes?!"

"No, no. I was listening, I was just staring at the desk with my head on my arm." The sarcasm was clearly evident in his voice.

"Mhmm. Don't let me catch you 'staring at your desk' again." She then went on to talk about the project.

"As long as I don't have to stare at you," he muttered. Astrid couldn't help the smirk coming across her face.

"Is something funny Ms. Hofferson?" Astrid met her teacher's stare and glared right back at her.

"No, nothing at all."

"Thought so. Speaking of partners, I am assigning them based on last names." Astrid's eyes widened at the realization. "Astrid and Hiccup, you two will work on your film adaptation together. Seeing that both of you share the same kind of humor, I suspect you will work just fine together."

Astrid could see the sarcasm all over her teacher's stupid face. She could also see in the corner of her eyes that Hiccup's pupils had gotten bigger and his jaw had dropped to the desk. She _hated_ her teacher. And she was going to hate being partners with Hiccup.

She really, _really_ hated Mondays.

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 **Ya there will be more Hiccstrid coming soon. I like a little development in my characters. And there will be more dialogue later. Once again just trying to enlighten on what's going through their heads. Thanks again and leave reviews with opinions. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So here we are again. I have to say that this chapter is slightly longer than I intended, but hey I always enjoyed reading a little more than what was promised. Just an fyi, chances are that the next update will come out the day after tomorrow since I will be busy with the first round of finals. If not, then definitely I'll have it by Friday afternoon. I'll try to get it in tomorrow, but we'll just see how it goes. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.**

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Chapter 4: Annoying

Hiccup could not believe his ears. Had his teacher just paired him with _Astrid_? He looked over to her and saw the look of disappointment. The same look that anyone gets whenever they get paired up with him. He felt his heart go into his throat when he saw the look on her face. After the disappointment came disgust that translated into, "Really? You paired me up with _him?"_

Hiccup knew he shouldn't feel such sadness. What did he expect, for her to be happy or overjoyed that she was paired with him? Hiccup hadn't realized how tuned out he had been before his teacher started talking.

"You and your partner will recreate a scene from _Much Ado About Nothing_ in a different time period. You can choose any time period so long as your adaptations live up to Shakespeare's message."

 _Great. She will just_ love _filming with me._ Ever since he saw the look of disappointment on Astrid's face, he decided it would be best to keep his gaze away from her and just keep flicking his pencil up the desk.

When Mrs. Richards turned them lose for them to start getting to know their partners, Astrid couldn't help but notice how everyone else seemed to get paired with their best friend. She could see them talking to each other about school and life; trying to get over a 4.5GPA so that they could have a chance to make it into the top 3% of the class, behind Astrid and Hiccup of course. By the time junior year came around, everyone in their high school class had recognized how they would never reach the academic level of Astrid Hofferson and Hiccup Haddock. No matter how many tutors they got, or how many AP's they took, Astrid and Hiccup would always be the top two. So, gradually, everyone settled for everything beneath them; recognizing third and fourth place to actually be first and second place as far as the rest of the high school class was concerned.

All the pairs of students were eagerly chatting up subjects for their film adaptation, exchanging phone numbers, and planning out filming dates. Then there were Astrid and Hiccup, ten minutes had already passed and they hadn't even spoken a word yet. _Come on, you're Astrid Hofferson. Just take charge and get an A on this stupid English project._

"Okay, I'll write the script and get all the props and do the editing. All you have to do is show up and read off the paper. I don't want you screwing up this project, " she said bitterly.

 _Does she really think that I would screw up something academically? I'm still ranked higher than her in the class. And yet she thinks that I would screw up? I guess she has every right to think so, I am Hiccup after all…_

"What makes you think that I'm going to screw up? How do I know that _you_ won't screw this thing up for _me?_ " he replied with even bitterness, trying to conceal his hurt.

Had he really just retorted back at her? And did her dare use sarcasm on her? Who does he think he is?

"Well considering you screw everything else up, _Hiccup_ , I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to fail this project and pull me down with you. Just let me get the A on this."

Her eyes widened at the realization. She had just called him by his nickname, the nickname that she thought she would never use because she was better than that. She thought she should apologize, but a Hofferson never apologizes.

She could see a glimpse of hurt and a twitch in his forest green eyes at the word. But she made sure to put that in the back of her mind. He then built back up the accusing façade he had had before.

"Well I could just as easily get an A also, considering I'm still better at you in something," he muttered.

"What did you just say?" Hiccup suddenly realized his mistake.

"N-nothing."

"Really? Because it sure sounded like _something,_ " Astrid replied with a clenched fist.

"I-I didn't say anything." Hiccup tried to keep his calm, but the damage had already been done. He then felt a fierce sting in his arm.

"Oww."

Hiccup could already feel the bruise starting to form where she had just hit him.

"Stay out of my way, Hiccup." Astrid could sense him cower more and more every time she mentioned his nickname. Maybe he knew that she was the only one who had never called him that. She felt slightly bad, but God he was being more annoying than she could have thought possible. Finally, he shut up.

After a few more minutes of Astrid writing down ideas and Hiccup staring awkwardly at the ground, he finally spoke up.

"Uhmm, did you want my number, or something?"

"What?!" Did Hiccup just ask if she _wanted_ his number? Was he trying to hit on her or something? Of course, he's just like the rest of them, he must have just had a huge plan to hit on her which started at the bus stop.

"Why on Earth would I want your number?" She was going to shut him down before he even tried. Hiccup awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, since we are working together on this project and we haven't decided on any filming dates yet, I just thought that if I gave you my number that you could text me when we should start filming. And also just in case I have any ideas."

 _Maybe he isn't hitting on me. Maybe he is still different. God, why does this little nerd have to be so annoying._

"I doubt it. But fine I guess."

Hiccup quickly jotted down the ten-digit code onto a piece of paper and handed it to her.

"Doubt what you want, but whether you like it or not, I'm taking part in this."

"Fine," she replied, yanking the piece of paper from his hands. She shoved it in her pocket, deep down past her phone and house keys. She was sure she would not be needing that any time soon.

" _Fine,"_ he replied with the same sarcasm that had been present just moments ago. God he was annoying.

As the bell rang, they parted ways as soon as they passed through the door. As Astrid walked down the hall, she glanced over her shoulder to see him turning into a separate part of the hallway. Unwillingly, almost on instinct, she stuck her hand in her pocket to make sure that the paper with ten numbers scribbled on it was still there. She justified her actions to herself by just making sure that she'll be able to text that idiot when to meet her.

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 _Okay seriously? What the fuck is the binomial theorem. Was it the combination formula or the permutation formula. God dammit._ Astrid stared at her Calculus test as if she had the knowledge of a first grader. She was barely halfway through the test when Hiccup turned in his test. He walked up the teacher's desk and handed in his guaranteed 100% test as if it had been nothing.

 _Of course he finishes first. He_ always _finishes first. Despite the fact that all he does is snooze away all day in class. How the hell does he do that? I hate that kid._

By the time the bell rang, Astrid had barely finished her test. She had to run up to her teacher's desk and smash the test into the tray before her teacher refused to take it. As she walked back to pick up her backpack, she noticed that Hiccup was still asleep. He had slept through the bell. _What an idiot,_ she thought. She debated on just leaving him there, but if he was kept after school, then he wouldn't be able to work with her. Not that she needed his help anyways.

She smashed her fist into his arm and he jolted awake.

He glared at her while he held his arm.

"Why would you DO that?"

She rolled her eyes and kicked his foot. She was starting to become impatient with him. Astrid did not want to be late to the locker rooms. But she couldn't help but notice how green his eyes were. Sure, she knew they were green, but it was such a deep and vivid green that she had never seen before. She mentally slapped herself; she shouldn't be noticing these kinds of things. Especially about Hiccup.

"The bell rang you idiot. You probably would have noticed if you didn't sleep all day."

And without another word, she walked out the classroom and briskly walked down to her locker. She was greeted by Scott with another sloppy kiss with a little too much tongue. She had to wipe her mouth from the saliva that had escaped his mouth and gotten onto her chin. Astrid could taste the vodka from his kiss.

"Jesus Scott, do you ever stop drinking?" She saw the "water bottle" on the side of his backpack before quickly yanking it away and tossing in the trash.

"What can I say babe? I need to get ready for the party tonight," he replied with a drunken grin, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Whatever you better not- Wait what!? You KNOW I have a game tonight! You said you would come! Scott, for fuck's sake, you're my ONLY ride back!" She grit her teeth and shoved him. He stumbled backwards, clearly unable to keep his balance.

"Sorry! I was really gonna come, but then Tuff mentioned this college party and I just couldn't resist. I might as well get acquainted with my future team right?" Astrid could clearly see how much more important his football career was to him than she was. Typical Scott.

"You know what, fine. But don't even think for a SECOND that I'm going to your house tonight." She could see the clear shock from on his face.

"But you said that after your softball game that you would come over and we would-" Before he could finish his statement, Astrid socked him square in the jaw. He started clutching at the newly forming bruise. Most people around had looked over to see where the sound had come from, but seeing as it was Astrid and Scott, they all returned to their activities, recognizing this behavior as normal for the couple.

"That was before you decided to ditch me," Astrid replied through gritted teeth.

She then stormed off to the locker rooms. _Does every guy in this school have to be so damn annoying?_

0000

 **So yea, you guessed right. Scott was about to ask Astrid if she would to the dirty with him tonight. Also, in case you didn't see the beginning, the next update will probably come the day after tomorrow. If not, then for sure by Friday afternoon. I'll just be busy with finals. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey again guys! New chapter! Sorry for an upload this late, but I figured it would be better to post it now then tomorrow. Finally starting to get some real Hiccstrid interactions going as well as a little Rufflegs, so I hope you guys enjoy. Time to respond to the reviews:**

 **MrAndersIversen: Thanks a bunch! It really means a lot to me. I hope you do enjoy the chapters to come.**

 **The guest with the issue on Snotlout (Scott) and Astrid: The reason that I, and some other modern AU writers, made them a couple to start with is so that Astrid's character can show development in how she thinks of Hiccup vs Scott. Obviously no one, at least not me, likes having Astrid paired up with Snotlout (which is why I didn't portray in the best light). But I feel that by pairing these two in the beginning will really help show Astrid's development as a character and how she distinguishes Scott from Hiccup. And yes I do realize that it is a bit counterproductive by letting them get intimate, but her reasons behind her sex life will be shown later in the chapters. Also, I feel like this will also help with Astrid's character development when she sees Hiccup as more than just a sex partner. I hope that this helps you understand my choices. And also, I completely agree in that Astrid is a strong, if not the strongest, character in my opinion. But superficially, she is still the trendsetter, but inside, she is feeling a bit unsure about her position in high school. And this will also be expanded upon later in future chapters because it ties in with her relationship with her father. Thanks a bunch for reviewing!**

 **To the guest asking about Hiccup's leg/Astrid's Hostility: Thank you so much for the good luck! And to address your questions, yes I purposefully made Astrid a little more hostile and you guessed right: I did it so it would enhance the changes that she will go through. That being said, this story is mostly from Astrid's POV but still has plenty of Hiccup's POV so no need to worry about that. And as for Hiccup's leg, he still has his leg in tact. In thinking about how I wanted to plot the story, I decided that it would be best if I let him keep his leg (for now). It will play out later in the story though. Thanks for the review!**

 **Believe me when I say, I hate Astrid and Snotlout together as much as you guys do.**

 **So really long author's note and I apologize for that. But I just wanted to clarify some of my choices in writing this story for those who need it. Now off with the chapter!**

 **As always, I OWN NOTHING.**

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Chapter 5: Friends?

As Astrid changed from her normal school clothes into her softball gear, she breathed a sigh of a relief with the familiarity of her worn softball jersey and cleats. So far, her day had gone pretty horribly. First she wakes up with an unbearable headache, then she gets paired up with Hiccup for a project that's worth over half their grade, then she completely bombs a Calculus test, and now she has no ride home. Great, just great. She finds relief in the one thing that hasn't gone against her yet. As she lifts up her bag with her gear in it, her teammate, and best friend, Ruff strolls on over to her.

"What's with you? You look like you got hit by a bus." Astrid hadn't even realized how distressed she looked until she reached the locker room mirror. Her hair was fuzzy and she looked paler than ever.

"Thanks. 'Cause that always makes a girl feel so much better."

"You've never been one to feel like a girl. Are you sure you even ARE a girl?"

Astrid laughed to herself. She thought of Ruff as her own sister. They never had a girlish bond where they would sit down and giggle while gossiping about boys and the next One Direction song. Rather, they would sit and discuss new softball plays and who they really wanted to beat up. They were most definitely the sister that neither one of them ever had.

"I've just been pissed off this entire day. I have this killer headache from last night, then I get paired up with _Hiccup_ for an English project and-"

"Seriously? You got paired up with _him?_ " Astrid could sense the disgust from her friend without even needing to look at her.

"That kid can barely stay awake! It's like he's got some sort of illness that makes him fall asleep all the time."

"That's not even the worst part, Ruff. He has an attitude. A really fucking huge attitude."

Ruff rolled her eyes at her friend before crossing her arms as they began walking towards the softball field. The bleachers were already filled with students getting ready for the varsity softball team's regionals game.

"Oh wow!" she replied sarcastically, "Someone is stepping up to the mighty Astrid Hofferson. Two people with an attitude beyond repair. You two would be perfect for each other."

Astrid couldn't help the blush that slowly crept onto her face. Ruff obviously meant it as a joke. She shouldn't be feeling this strongly about someone joking about her and Hiccup. Suddenly, a flash of green and auburn hair struck her mind as Hiccup took over her thoughts. _He was so… so… what's the word, polite? No that's a little over the top,_ she thought, _he was… nice. The way he stepped aside to let me on the bus first. That had been a genuine act of kindness, not some perverted plan. Giving me his phone number, the piece of paper still in my pocket in the locker rooms, that was an offer to help me work on their project. Maybe he really is just… nice…_

"Whatever Ruff, you know I already have a boyfriend."

Ruff snorted to herself with another roll of her eyes.

"As if, you two are more like exes fighting to the death after a huge breakup. You guys don't look at each other like you mean anything to each other. Every time I see you guys it's all like 'What the hell are you doing?' or 'Wanna come to this party tonight. It's gonna be awesome!' Everyone knows you don't like him Astrid. Well everyone except for Scott, he's too stupid to take a hint."

As they set their things down on the benches, Astrid couldn't help but think about her and Scott. She thought about Ruff and her recent breakup with Eret. Before they started dating, Ruff was all over him. She would not stop talking about the quarterback's rippling biceps and all the parts of him she wanted to touch. But when they started dating, she realized she wasn't happy with him and decided to call an end to things after just a month. She remembers that day, the very things her best friend had told her, "I'm sick of these guys. It's time to broaden my horizons," she said as her eyes drifted to a clumsy Finn Ingerman holding a stack of papers as he walked down the hallway.

Everyone called him "Fishlegs" now because of an odd incident that involved him being on a boat. But Astrid tried not to think about that too much. She knew that Fishlegs and Hiccup were best friends. They shared similar interests in engineering, and Fishlegs was as close as anyone could get to their academic level. Astrid would have never thought her best friend, who was the toughest girl she knew, would be falling head over heels for him.

When asked about it, Ruff simply stated, "I just decided to open my eyes Astrid, maybe you should do the same," before jogging to catch up with her new boyfriend that had smiled to her as she jogged to him with eyes full of affection and respect. Astrid thought about her and Scott, about how he looked at her. When Astrid cared to notice how he actually looked at her, she thought she saw some affection through his eyes. But then she noticed how his eyes would immediately lock in on her ass or her breasts. He would always get that stupid grin that let everyone know _exactly_ what he was thinking off. Astrid wished that she was looked at the same way that Fishlegs looked at Ruff.

But that was four months ago, and those feelings had subsided. Fishlegs and Ruff were still together, looking at each other with the same amount of lust as when they first started dating. As she set her bag down, Ruff looked up and waved at her boyfriend who was sitting up in the bleachers, waving right back at her with that same look full of respect and _love_. Astrid had a small feeling of hope in the pit of her stomach as she looked around the bleachers over all the students that had attended the game. She thought that she would see Scott. Maybe he would realize that he should be there for her, but of course he wasn't.

Then she looked back to the far side of the bleachers where Fishlegs was sitting and then she saw _him._ A flash of auburn hair, a freckled face, and bright green eyes that filled her with a surprising amount of warmth. She wasn't sure why she was feeling these things for someone she barely knew and absolutely did _not_ like at all. But there he was, filling her with an amount of warmth that she had never experienced before. He was talking to Fishlegs while eating nachos. She saw Fish point to Ruff and she knew that he was, no doubt, talking about his girlfriend. She could see it from the smile on his face. Astrid knew that he was telling Hiccup about how amazing and wonderful his girlfriend was and she felt a sense of longing and jealousy. She wished that her boyfriend would talk about _her_. Not how she looked, or how good she was at doing certain _things_ with him, but about her.

Maybe Ruff was right. Maybe she isn't happy in her relationship. Maybe she should open her eyes. Maybe she should try…

0000

The game went on for hours. Astrid was resting a couple of inches away from third base. Ruff was up to bat. The score was tied but the Berserkers had lost two of their best fielders and Astrid knew that if Ruff smacked the ball in her direction, then she would reach the home plate and Berk would win. As Ruff raised her bat in preparation to swing, she couldn't help notice the look that Fishlegs gave Ruff. It wasn't a pressuring look, since the entire game did rest in her hands, but rather a look of admiration. A look that said that no matter what happened, he would always love her. Astrid then looked to his right. She saw Hiccup, eating his nachos while also watching Ruff. Suddenly, Astrid found herself staring at him, the seconds before the ball being thrown suddenly turning into hours.

She looked at him and saw something more than what everyone else saw. She saw someone smart, someone who could be funny, and someone kind. Now that she thought about it, he didn't look half bad. His jaw and cheekbones had definitely become more defined. He had a little stubble on his chin and he had a messy hair sort of look. And his eyes, oh his _eyes,_ she would never admit to anyone how entrancing and beautiful she thought they were. Even from a distance, she could see the forest green. Being truthfully honest, Astrid thought he looked kind of… _hot_. _Weird,_ she thought. _Hiccup shouldn't be this attractive._ But there he was, and Astrid found herself asking what she really wanted. As if on cue, Hiccup turned his head to look at her. But as soon as their eyes met, he snapped his head straight back to the batter. He looked just as uncomfortable as when he sat next to her on the bus.

 _Bam!_

The sound of metal hitting leather snapped Astrid back into the game. She instantly took of running straight towards home plate. Ruff must have read her mind because the ball went exactly where she wanted it to go and she was able to easily make it past home plate. All the Berkians started cheering, she saw Coach Gobber jumping to the best of his ability on his prosthetic, and she saw the same look of admiration in Fishlegs's eyes as he watched Ruff run.

As the Berserkers loaded their bus for the long ride home and the rest of the crowd found their cars, Fish ran to his girlfriend, embracing her in a big hug. Ruff was barely able to wrap her arms around his waist, so she settled on wrapping around his neck as they exchanged a quick kiss. Astrid noticed a shy Hiccup slowly walking behind them with his hands in his pockets and staring at the ground. She noticed how he was constantly glancing towards the parking lot, eager to get out of here no doubt.

"Oh my God, you were amazing!" Fishlegs squealed.

Ruff beamed at him. "Thanks Fish! Thanks a bunch for actually _coming_ , you're the best!" Astrid smirked at her friend who was smirking right back over Fishlegs's shoulder. It was obvious that Ruff did not like her best friend dating Scott. And now Astrid was not sure if she could _endure_ dating Scott either. She was far past actually liking dating him. It was more of an endurance test to her now, to see how long she could endure Scott and his shit.

"Oh my goodness that was amazing! You hit the ball just at the right angle so that Astrid could have a clear path towards the pentagon!"

"Babe, that's called home plate," Ruff said slowly. As the couple left hand in hand, Astrid had never felt more nervous being alone with anyone before in her life. This was Hiccup for crying out loud. She shouldn't be nervous, _he_ should be nervous. Well maybe he was, he looked just as nervous.

 _I hope she didn't catch me looking at her. She just looked so fierce and amazing. Everything that I've ever wanted to be_ , he thought. He self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck while Astrid suddenly found her cleats the most interesting things in the world.

"So," he started, "I thought you did amazing out there." _Oh no, was that too much? Did I just creep her out?_ Astrid blushed and she was surprised at how easily he made her blush. _How does he do that to me?_ she thought.

"Oh, thanks. I saw you in the bleachers next to Fish. He seems to be really into Ruff."

"Yea, he like talks about her all the time. But, I mean he seems like he really likes her and she seems like she really likes him. I would have never thought Fish would get a girlfriend before me."

Astrid looked puzzled at that statement. _Didn't he date Heather in 9_ _th_ _grade?_ she thought. She never really liked Heather at all. Astrid just hated how she took advantage of everyone.

"But didn't you date Heather freshman year?" Hiccup looked annoyed at that question. She was worried that she just ticked him off.

"Not really, turns out she didn't really like me and was just using me to get an A on a project." Astrid could see the sadness in his eyes and couldn't help the anger that started welling in her chest at Heather. She definitely hated Heather.

"Oh…" Astrid didn't know what to say next. How was she supposed to follow up with that?

"Yea. At least you and Scott are going alright." Hiccup sounded bitter when he said that, but she chose to ignore his tone.

"Actually, I don't really know anymore. He's not as great as people say he is."

"Believe me, I've known that for a long time."

She couldn't help the laugh that slipped out of her. She smiled at him and he smiled right back. They looked into each other's eyes before she finally spoke up.

"Speaking of projects, I just wanted to say sorry for how I reacted. I shouldn't have used that nickname on you. I've just been aggravated this entire day." She was honest in her apology. Not the meaningless apologies she throws at people because she has to.

"Oh don't worry about it. I don't really mind it from some people, including you. So you can call me Hiccup if you want."

She smiled at him. "Okay, Hiccup." She suddenly noticed how the last cars had left the parking lot and all that was left was a black Camaro.

"Oh by the way Hiccup, I was kinda wondering if … well since Scott ditched me and he was my ride, I was wondering if, you know, I could hitch a ride with you?" She was almost sure that he was going to say no. With the way she's been treating him. It only made sense.

"Sure. Scott's a jerk for ditching- Oh shit, sorry I didn't mean to say that. He's your boyfriend and all." He then pointed to the black Camaro that was fairly close to the stadium. He must have gotten here early to get a good spot. "My ride is just over there. The, uhmm, black Camaro."

She smirked at him, "Well obviously it's yours. Seeing as it's the only car left. And don't say sorry, he has been acting like a jerk lately."

As they entered the car, Astrid took a deep breath and realized how much it smelled like him. Not that she had _tried_ to smell him. She had just casually noticed when he was at his locker when she was, or when his head would fall to her side while he was sleeping before she would push his head away, or when they were walking past each other in the hallway. The car smelled like soap with a hint of smokiness to it. She _liked_ it. Not because of him, of course, because that would be weird. She just liked the smell in general. It smelled like a smithy.

The car ride to her house was long, silent, and frustrating. For the first time every, Astrid didn't know what to say. _Maybe I should talk about the project. Yea that's alright. It is for school anyways._

"So when did you want to start working on the script?" she asked.

He glanced back over at her and replied, "I thought you didn't want me working on it." She suddenly felt regret for saying that. What a stupid thing to say. If she was going to get an A, then he would need to help her.

"Well I changed my mind," she said quickly before glaring at him.

"Alright, fine. Whenever you want. It's not like I have a busy schedule." She could hear the sarcasm in his voice and smiled to herself, careful to avoid his gaze.

"Okay. I'll just shoot you a text." He looked surprised and excited at the thought of her texting him. As he pulled up by the curb of her house, she hesitated before grabbing the handle.

"Thanks for giving me a ride," she smiled, "I don't know what I would've done without you." Hiccup couldn't help but feel his heart swell at her words. _I don't know what I would've done without you._

"It's no problem. Anytime really."

"I might just take you up on that offer," she replied. He smiled at her and she smiled back before punching him in the arm.

As he gripped his arm where another bruise would surely form, he glared at her. "What was that for?"

" _That_ was for being annoying this morning."

"What? I didn't even-"

He was interrupted by a hug. It took him a moment to comprehend that _Astrid Hofferson_ was hugging _him._ When she pulled away, she couldn't help but smirk at his shocked expression. Maybe Mondays weren't so bad after all.

"Friends?" she asked. He was at a loss of words so he just nodded his head as fast as he could, as if the offer would disappear any second. She smiled before stepping out of the car, grabbing her bag and jogging to her house. Even after she was long gone, Hiccup wasn't able to move. Did Astrid really just hug him? Did she just ask him to be her friend? He supposed that maybe dreams sometimes do come true.

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 **So here we are again. And I was able to update today! Sorry if my softball knowledge sucks! Finally some Hiccstrid forming. I'm glad I was able to start getting Scott out of the way and bring Hiccup in. Looks like Astrid is going to have a confusing week. As always review and please don't hesitate to ask questions. I would be more than happy to explain myself. As for the next update, I highly doubt I will have one tomorrow, so you can expect one on Friday. See you guys then! Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here we are. Another chapter!**

 **SilverBlueEyedWolf: Thank you I really appreciate it! And no need to apologize! At least you are reviewing!**

 **GuyWhoLikesBooks: Oh gosh yes I forgot to write in the last chapter that Hiccup's car was in the auto shop. That was why it had the hint of smokiness to it like Hiccup has since they were both in the auto shop. I'll be sure to explain that in this chapter, since this will be mostly Hiccup's POV. Sorry for the confusion! Thanks!**

 **Thank you to everyone that reviewed and left such wonderful comments! You have no idea how much it means to me! Thank you so much and here's another chapter for you guys!**

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Chapter 6: Happy

The following day, school went back to normal for Hiccup. He went to being the loner in the class who slept all day. He thought of maybe talking to Astrid, but she seemed stressed out and pissed off about something. And Hiccup did not want to be caught in the crossfire. So his school day went as usual. Get shoved by Scott in the hallway, sleep in class, get yelled at by the teachers, and sleep some more. As he staggered out to his newly painted car, he groaned as he dropped his keys onto the floor and watched as they were swept under his car by his clumsy feet.

"Great," he murmured.

As he dropped onto his knees and tried reaching under his car, he found that he couldn't quite reach his keys. He cursed to himself as he hit the ground in frustration.

"Looks like someone's having a bad day." Hiccup could recognize that voice anywhere. The angelic voice that seemed like music to his ears. He whipped his head around and saw the most beautiful girl he had every laid his eyes upon. Astrid was standing in front of him, dressed for softball practice with her equipment slung over her back.

"Just dropped my keys. And just my luck I kicked it under my car."

"Well here, maybe this will give you more reach," she replied as she reached behind her to grab one of her various softball bats. She handed it to him, which confused him at first, but then he realized that he was supposed to grab his keys with it.

As he grabbed the bat from her hands, he felt their fingers graze at the exchange. His fingers tingled in excitement and he jolted his hand back with the bat just as fast as she retracted hers.

"Sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen," he said while looking away.

Astrid felt herself blush. "No it's fine. No big deal."

Without another word, Hiccup reached under the car and pulled his keys back with the bat. He handed it back to her without looking at her, afraid that he might offend her further by looking at her perfect face. After what felt like an eternity, she finally decided to speak up.

"That's a nice car," she said.

"Oh thanks, I just got it painted yesterday. I thought that black would look nicer on it instead of orange." Hiccup never liked the color orange. It was too… _orange._

"Well I, for one, think it looks amazing. You should keep it that way. It makes you look like a badass."

Hiccup felt the rush of blood to his cheeks at her comment. She smiled at him and said, "Well, I better get going. See you around, _friend_."

At the word _friend,_ Hiccup remembered their brief interaction yesterday and the exchange of apologies. He suddenly noticed how she never really apologized to anyone, not even Scott, but yet she was so sincere in her apology yesterday, that Hiccup had to wonder if he was dreaming. He smiled at her and waved his hand goodbye.

He couldn't stop staring at her as she walked down to the softball field. _What a Goddess,_ he thought.

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"Hiccup. Hiccup!" Hiccup was drawn back into reality by a loud Scottish voice. "Quit yer day dreamin', I don't pay ye to stare off into space all day long."

Hiccup nodded in acknowledgement to his boss, Gobber. Hiccup's father and Gobber had always been the best of friends and he was there whenever his father couldn't be. He considered Gobber a second father to him. He was sitting in Gobber's automobile shop, which was given the creative name of "The Forge." Gobber loved its simplicity because it easily showed what went on in his shop, but Hiccup thought that it was just so that he could remember the name of it. He had been cleaning out some motorcycle exhaust pipes with his physical body, but his mind had been in much farther places. He couldn't stop thinking about the girl with blonde hair that shined in the sun, eyes the color of the most beautiful ocean, and freckles that had been carefully placed by the Gods above. Her smile always melted him to mush, and he couldn't stop replaying last night's moment and today's interaction. It made his heart pound.

With his mind brought back to reality, Hiccup was able to quickly finish his work and clock out early, as he always did. He remembers the time when he built his first dirt bike when he was 10. Gobber had seen the piece of machinery and said, "Goodness boy, is this what you always sneak off to do? Well all things considered, it's a beautiful piece of work."

As he walked out of the shop, Gobber had half run half hopped to him before yelling, "Don't forget ye still owe me two-hundred for the paint job!"

Hiccup waved his hand to dismiss him while saying, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll get it to you soon enough."

"Ye better hope so! Or else I'll have you out in the field cleaning up the trash the varsity softball team leaves!"

At the mention of softball, Hiccup's mind immediately locked back onto Astrid and her gracefulness in everything she did. He smiled to himself as he entered his car to head back home. _The wouldn't be much of a punishment, Gobber_ , he thought.

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Astrid was exhausted after her practice. As she stumbled into her house, she made sure that she was careful not to wake up her father. If he was there and he woke up, she would surely regret it. She carefully tiptoed to her room before gently closing her door. As soon as it was completely closed, she flopped onto her bed, completely disregarding the fact that she was wearing her softball uniform.

As she lay face down on her bed, she reflected back on her day. It had been a relatively normal day in comparison to the events of yesterday. She woke up, avoided her father, got picked up by Scott, went to school, glared at people, and then went to softball practice. But that morning, she couldn't stop thinking about the night before; how Hiccup had driven her home, how she hugged him and called him her friend. She didn't regret it. As a matter of fact she was far from regretting that moment. It brought her a warmth that made her chest tingle. The amount of times that she and Scott had been intimate in his backseat hadn't even come close to what she felt when she was with Hiccup.

With him, she felt that she wasn't being judged, that he saw her, and he couldn't care less what anyone thought. Maybe that's what made him so different. He was the complete opposite of everyone else. And she liked that. But that scared her. That morning, when she woke up, she felt a tingling warmth in her chest that made her feel beyond happy. For the first time in a long time, she woke up happy. She supposed that it was just a random fluke, but deep inside, she knew it was something _more_. That morning, as she left her house, she gracefully walked towards Scott's car with a smile on her face. She was so _happy_. And she had no idea why.

"Hey babe, you look happy today," Scott said as he gave her a sloppy kiss. She immediately felt the happiness starting to slip away, and she tried with all her power to keep it there. It was like trying to hold water in cupped hands: difficult, but manageable.

She only replied with a nod. A frown started to come to her face as she realized her happiness was slipping through her fingers. She thought to herself, _maybe I just need a little_ relief. _Just to ease the nerves._ With that, she dragged Scott to the backseat of his SUV before shoving him down onto the cushions. He had that stupid grin on his face that he got whenever they were about to do it. She only felt her happiness disappearing more and more. She thought that once she was _relieved_ , then she would feel that happiness again. _What else could it be?_ she wondered.

As she started to rock against Scott, she only felt happiness being overcome by dread and obligation, the normal emotions that she hated. She realized this wasn't what was making her happy.

"Stop, stop," she said before climbing off of Scott. He had that disappointed scowl on his face as she crawled back into the passengers seat. She felt terrible now. All the bright, warm, happiness that she had been so full of was replaced by cold emptiness.

"What's wrong babe? Come on, we already got started."

She simply shook her head as she tugged her pants back on.

"I'm not in the mood. Just shut up and take me to school." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black Camaro she had ridden in the night before. At the sight of _his_ car, she felt a sudden spark of the same warmth she had moments ago, but it was nothing compared to what she woke up to. As the day went on, she couldn't help but miss the happiness she woke up to.

After school, as she made her way to the softball field, she saw him. He was reaching under his car, trying to grab something. _His keys probably,_ she thought. At the sight of him, she felt that warmth spark again. As she approached him, she felt warmer and warmer until she was right behind him with a fire blazing inside of her. She heard him curse to himself.

"Looks like someone's having a bad day." As he turned to face her, she only felt the warmth growing. As they talked more, she could only feel the fire inside her getting hotter and hotter. And when their fingers brushed as she gave him her bat, she felt fireworks inside of her that stretched all over her body. She was surprised by the sudden feeling and retracted her hand. He apologized and they bid their goodbyes. As she walked to the softball field, she realized she was clutching the hand that had brushed on his. It was still tingling from the contact. It was a tingling she had never felt before in her life, and she liked it. She liked it _a lot._

As her mind came back to the present, she realized that it was because of him. The warmth she felt, it was because of _him._ She reached over to her bedside table and grabbed the crumpled piece of paper with ten digits on it. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed the numbers. As she listened to the ringing, she only hoped he would pick up.

0000

 **Sorry this came out later into the night! I really didn't mean for it to come out this late, but I had some other things to do. New chapter should be up tomorrow, if not then Sunday. And happy three-day weekend everyone! Also, I hope that this chapter explained that absence of Hiccup's car in the first chapter, but anyways, see ya guys next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! So I was able to write this chapter and release it today. I hope you like it. And I apologize for any grammar errors that appeared in the last chapter. I didn't really have time to proof read it. So ya.**

 **Silver Blue Eyed Wolf: Thank you so much! Getting reviews also makes me happy. It really means a lot that you look forward to my updates in the morning. I really appreciate you reading my updates and taking the time to review. And that also goes for everyone else that has read and reviewed! I cannot express how thankful I am.**

 **Quick update on the next chapter, it will most likely come out late Sunday or Monday afternoon because I will be attending a school event tomorrow. I hope to get it out tomorrow, but if not, then for sure Monday. Now on with the chapter!**

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Chapter 7: Loved

The ride back home from The Forge wasn't exactly pleasant for Hiccup. He got caught up in traffic on the highway, which made delayed him from going home for another hour, and Fishlegs had cancelled their study session so that he could go out with Ruff. As he sat in his car waiting for the traffic to move along, he thought back to when Ruff asked out Fish. Well, more like demanded.

It was a normal Friday and they had just sat down for lunch. The two of them sat alone, as usual, and Fish had his two trays with a full lunch on each tray. The only thing that stood out was Ruff's head constantly turning to look at their table. Hiccups noticed how she would turn around and look at Fish and then turn back to her table to talk with Astrid. They were probably talking about how their very presence in the lunchroom annoyed them. Astrid looked very annoyed with whatever Ruff was talking about. Even when she looked aggravated, Hiccup still thought that Astrid was the most beautiful girl in the entire school. It annoyed him when he saw Scott put his arm around her shoulder and try and reach down to squeeze her boobs.

Thankfully, she swatted his hand away and glared at him. After a few more glances from Ruff, she finally got out of her chair and walked over to their table. She looked at Hiccup and then at Fish in a way that made her look like she was making a decision. She finally decided to focus her gaze on Fish and slammed her fist on the table. Fishlegs jumped from the sudden smack. He looked utterly terrified by the tall blonde that was staring him down. He even dropped one of his peanut butter-jelly sandwiches on his tray from the shock.

"Alright listen up, _Fishlegs._ " He took a nervous gulp before looking up at her.

"You and I are going to watch a movie tonight at the movie theater. You're going to pick me up and pay for my ticket. Got it?"

He looked beyond puzzled, which was unusual for him since he knew how to justify each decision with statistics.

"Y-You mean like-like a date?" he stuttered.

She simply rolled her eyes and said, "Obviously. So pick me up at 7," she pointed a finger at him before adding, "You better not forget or else you're going to be sorry."

He quickly nodded in understanding before she turned on her heel and walked back over to her table. Hiccup noticed how Astrid looked at her like she was crazy.

"Uhh, Hiccup?"

"Yea Fish?"

"Did Ruffnut just ask me out?"

"Yea dude, I think she just did. You just got a date with Ruffnut Thorston."

Fishlegs looked so shocked that it was comical. "B-But the chances of that are closer to one in a million!"

"Well you aren't going to stand her up right?" Hiccup asked in return. Fishlegs just shook his head before returning to his sandwich.

"It's probably just a joke anyways," Fish replied before glancing over at Ruffnut. If only he knew she liked him as much as he liked her.

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When Hiccup finally arrived at his house, he wasn't surprised to see that his Dad still wasn't home from DC. The only other living soul in the house was Toothless, who eagerly greeted him. After petting him and scratching the spot under his chin that he loved so much, Hiccup walked up stares and collapsed on his bed. He groaned into his pillow, remembering that he should still change out of his clothes. As he got back up to change, he looked outside his window and down the street at the house where the girl of his dreams lived. Astrid's house.

He remembered their small interaction after school. He remembered the bright and heart-warming smile on her face that he couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought of. And when their fingers brushed, Hiccup felt his hand tingling. But when he saw that she retracted her hand with incredible speed, he was crushed at the thought of how she must have hated coming into physical contact with him. He sighed to himself as he made his way to the bathroom.

After he changed, he came back into his room only to hear his phone ringing. As he picked up his phone, he saw a number he didn't recognize. _Damn telemarketers,_ he thought. He hit the talk button and held the phone to his ear.

"Look I'm not interested in anything you have to sell. So please don't call me anymore," he said as he was getting ready to hit the end button. Then he heard a faint, but beautiful voice from the other line.

"Well if I were selling anything, I would be sure not to call you anymore." As he fumbled his phone back up to his ear, he couldn't help but hope it was _her_.

"Uhmm, who is this?"

"It's Astrid. I was wondering- Well I thought that we should start working on our project now. Since we haven't even decided on a topic yet, I thought that it would be a good idea to start working."

"Oh ya, s-sure. Did you want to come over or something?" _Oh God, what a dumb question to ask. Why would she want to come over to your house? She's Astrid and you're Hiccup. She probably thinks you're a creep now,_ he thought.

"Ya, sounds good. You live at the end of the street right? The gigantic house that sits on a hill taller than some of the houses?" 

Hiccup chuckled. "Yep, that's the one."

"Alright be there in five."

"Sounds good, see you then."

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As Astrid pushed the "end call" button, she felt that warmth ignite inside her again. _Joy._ It had only been a short phone call, but she thought the way he stuttered was adorable. _Adorable? Did I just think of Hiccup as adorable? I shouldn't be thinking those things about him. He's Hiccup after all. He's just some guy that happens to make me feel happy and is my friend. So what?_ she thought. She gathered her things and climbed down the stairs, only to find her father sitting in his recliner with a beer in his hand.

"Where are you going," he mumbled.

"Uhmm, I'm going to work on an English project at a friend's house." _Friend. My friend Hiccup,_ she thought.

"Well don't be too late," he muttered. She released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Thank God he didn't bring up her softball game.

"And you need to work on your form in batting. I watched the game on TV. You looked absolutely terrible. Can you ever get anything right? Jesus, you're just like your mother," he said. Astrid felt all the warmth she had get extinguished by this cold, broken man. She hated when he compared her to her mother.

"S-Sorry. I'll be sure to fix it next time."

"Sure you will. Just get out."

She half walked, half ran outside the house. She felt horrible now. Any hint of warmth that talking to Hiccup had given her was gone. She hated how much she craved that feeling, the strange feeling that he gave her. She hated how no one really cared for _her_. It was all about what she could and couldn't do. And she hated it.

By the time she reached the house at the end of the street, she didn't realize that her eyes were becoming red and puffy until Hiccup opened the door and saw her. His eyes grew wide with worry and his mouth opened. His face was full of concern. The girl in front of him wasn't the amazing, beautiful girl he admired from afar, but rather she looked saddened and hurt.

"A-Astrid? Are you okay?" he asked. Astrid immediately wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stepped inside.

"Yea, lets just get started alright?"

When she entered the grand house, she noticed how much bigger it was on the inside. Sure it looked big on the outside, but the inside was like a palace. Intricate Persian rugs covered the floor of the vast living room, a huge curved HD TV hung on the wall, and a giant leather sofa curved around the entire room. She knew Hiccup was rich, with his Dad being a renowned Congressman and all, but she never thought he was _this_ rich. She took a seat on the sofa. She sat on the very edge of the seat as if she would stain the perfection of the furniture. Hiccup took a seat on the opposite side, sinking into the leathery cushions.

A huge black dog came in after him and immediately went over to greet the new guest. Astrid retracted in surprise of the huge black dog coming over and sniffing her.

"Oh don't worry about Toothless. He's a big old baby and just wants attention," he said.

She then began scratching behind the dog's ear. He leaned into her touch and she started to scratch under his chin. As she got further under his chin, she must have hit a sensitive spot because he flopped down on the floor as soon as she scratched that spot.

"Oh my God is he alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Hiccup just chuckled in response. "He's fine, he loves that spot. He'll totally flop down on the ground if the middle of his chin is scratched."

Astrid smiled at the collapsed dog and then turned to look at Hiccup. He was smiling at her. His big green eyes were staring right into hers, and she felt the fire inside of her come alive. She felt like he was staring into her soul. Overwhelmed by the sudden heat, she looked away.

"Astrid, I know it's not my place to ask, but are you sure you're alright? You seem worried about something," he asked as he leaned forward.

"It's nothing," she deadpanned.

"It sure doesn't look like nothing."

Suddenly a bit aggravated, she turned to glare at him. "Why do you even care Hiccup? I just met you two days ago," she knew that wasn't true. She's noticed him every time they were in the same class. "You don't know anything about me!"

Hiccup suddenly cowered back, leaning back into his chair. He felt as if he wanted to disappear into the leathery couch.

"S-Sorry."

She sighed. She knew deep inside that he was trying to help. Something that no one has really done for her before.

"No, don't be. It's just that- Never mind you probably don't want to listen."

Hiccup leaned forward to look at her intently, with concern.

"No, you can tell me. I want to listen. I won't judge. And I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

 _I won't judge,_ _he said._ At that thought, she knew that Hiccup was who she thought he was. Someone who _cared_.

"My Dad has just been really on my case with softball." She knew that wasn't all of it, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him that. He said he wouldn't judge, but if she told him about what her father said about her and did to her, then would he still not judge?

"Why? You're amazing at it. You're the best on the team. They made you captain for a reason. You're _amazing_." Her heart jumped at his words. _You're amazing._ She felt happiness again, and she wasn't afraid of it this time. Suddenly, she felt as if she could tell him everything, about how her father would compare her to her mother, about how he would constantly criticize her, about how he would hit her, about how he would _abuse_ her.

But she still wasn't sure how he would look at her then. _He won't judge, he won't judge,_ she thought. But she couldn't bring herself to admit it just yet.

So she gave him a soft smile and said, "Thanks Hiccup."

"Anytime. Just remember, there's at least someone who _knows_ you're amazing. Because you are, and you should remember that." His words gave rise to a tsunami of feelings inside of her. She felt the feelings she felt last night: joy and happiness. But there was something else, something more, she felt _loved._ She thought to herself that it's probably too strong of word, since he obviously doesn't love her; he's just a kind person by nature. But she still couldn't shake the feeling. And she didn't want to.

The smile she gave him was the most real smile she had ever given anyone. It wasn't forced and meaningless, it was natural and full of emotion.

"You're not so bad yourself Haddock." She giggled as he rolled his eyes. _That's weird, I don't giggle,_ she thought. But it felt so natural, she decided to let it slide just this once.

"So lets get started on that project," she said. From that moment on, she forgot about the constant judgment from her father, she forgot about the expectations that people in school had of her, because none of it mattered to Hiccup, and she decided that none of it mattered to her either.

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 **So I hoped you enjoyed that chapter. In case you missed the beginning A/N, the next update will most likely be on Monday. I'll try tomorrow, but chances are that it'll be Monday. See you guys then!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Here we are again with another chapter. Happy Memorial Day! I hope you guys enjoy! Also for anyone that's wondering, this fanfic is mostly an Astrid POV fanfic. Obviously there will be some Hiccup POV here and there, but I enjoy Astrid's perspective a lot. Also, updates will be every other day from here on out. I think that I can use the extra day to make some longer chapters. Now to the reviews:**

 **SECTION: Thanks! I do plan to make longer chapters, but sometimes I feel like I make them too long and then when I actually post them, they aren't. So I will definitely make sure to do that.**

 **Rogue Deity Master: I really love that idea. I have a few minor adjustments, but I actually love that idea (hint hint).**

 **Guest 1: I'm glad you like it! I tried to really develop both their characters so that it would be like a journey through the fanfic.**

 **Guest 2: Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. Believe me, I tried my hardest to make Snotlout look terrible in this story. And believe me when I say that NO ONE hates Eret and Astrid together more than I do. I will never ever right a story about those two together. (Shivers to myself)**

 **Silver Blue Eyed Wolf: Thanks a bunch! I'm glad you aren't one of those reviewers who gets all pissed about an update being a day late. And also I thought it would be cute to include a little Rufflegs in there. I'm not a hardcore Rufflegs shipper but it's better than Rufflout.**

 **The Burning Pillar: Wow, I can't even express my gratitude. You are amazing. What an awesome review! Really! I'm really glad that you enjoy my Modern AU! I tried to base my style off of some of the best fanfic writers on the site. As for future characters, Heather will most likely make an appearance at some point. I cannot say for sure if I will include Mulch or Bucket, but I will try to incorporate them. And I just want to say that I am a hardcore Hiccstrid supporter. I can't take it when they are paired with anyone else. That being said, I hate Snotlout and Astrid together so much. But I'm glad you understood my decision on doing so. I also thought that making Toothless a dog would mix things up a bit and he always reminded me of my dog whenever I watched the movies. Thanks so much for this amazing review!**

 **Now on with the chapter!**

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Chapter 8:Amazing

Working with Hiccup felt so natural to Astrid. She didn't feel constricted or choked by any expectations he had because he didn't have any. She felt _free_ around him. She was surprised to find that Hiccup was not only kind, but he was hilarious. She loved his snarky remarks about their teachers and his thoughts on the latest school gossip. She was most curious to find out what he thought of _Heather_. Heather was the school varsity volleyball team captain. She was attractive, athletic, and fairly smart. Obviously not as smart as _them_ , but she wasn't stupid. For some reason, Astrid felt that if Hiccup liked Heather, then her heart would shatter. It was stupid to be feeling like that. Why should she care if Hiccup likes Heather? She hated Heather just a little bit more.

Everyone knew that Heather had a crush on Hiccup for reasons beyond her. It made Astrid angry because Heather could get any other guy in the school since she was already taken. And out of all the guys in the school, she just _had_ to go for Hiccup. But every time Heather had approached him to ask him if he wanted to go to a school dance or a date, he would always turn her down. Astrid always found herself releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding when she watched them.

While they were looking online for possible time periods to do their film in, she suddenly asked, "Hey Hiccup, what do you think of Heather?" _Where did that come from? Why would I just ask him that?_ she asked herself.

His eyebrows shot up to his forehead in surprise. "Heather? What about her?"

"Well what do you think about her, doofus? Do you like her? She always tries asking you out," she replied. She was secretly hoping he would say he didn't feel anything towards her, but she made sure to push those feelings away.

"Uhmm, well- I mean like- I don't know. She's okay I guess. Sometimes I wonder if I should say yes to her.," he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Astrid felt her heart sink. "Oh. But you- uhmm. You always turn her down? I just assumed you didn't like her."

Hiccup looked up from his laptop to look at her and raised an eyebrow. _Why is she asking about Heather?_ he thought.

"First of all, I wouldn't expect you to notice something like that, and second of all, who else am I going to get? I want go to prom since it is senior year, but I would not like to go alone. So if she asks me by then, I might just have to say yes. Who else would I go with?"

 _I could go with you,_ she thought. _Wait that's ridiculous. You have a boyfriend. And besides, he's never going to go for someone like me._

"Oh," she said as she looked back to her book, "I think you could do a lot better than Heather."

"Really Astrid?" he replied sarcastically, "She's like the second most attractive girl on our grade. I've seen the way guys look at her."

Astrid only felt her heart sink even more. She knew that much was true. Ever since she started dating Scott, all the guys's eyes drifted to Heather. Hell she even caught Scott looking at her sometimes. "Who's the most attractive girl then?"

 _You,_ he thought. He paused for a moment before sighing. "She's not just the most attractive, but she's also the most amazing girl I've ever met. She's strong and knows exactly what she wants. She doesn't show weakness and she will never let it get the best of her. But she's taken so it doesn't matter."

She had no words to respond to that. The fact that he thought of a girl like that took her aback. _Lucky girl,_ she thought. She tried to guess who that could be, but she couldn't come up with anyone. She simply replied, "Oh."

"It's not like I _like-like_ Heather. I mean she is nice and all, but I just don't see myself with her. That's why I always turn her down because I secretly hope that someday, the girl of my dreams will become available. I guess it's not a secret anymore, since I just shared it with you. So please don't tell anyone."

"It's not like you told me who she is, so who would I tell." Hiccup was still giving her that look of worry.

"If it makes you feel any better, Hiccup, I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks Astrid," he said with a sly grin. She simply smiled at him in return. Astrid felt a strange feeling next to the warmth in her chest. A feeling that resided in the pit of her stomach. It felt like _jealousy_. Why was she feeling jealous? She shouldn't be feeling jealous of Heather. So what if Hiccup says yes to her? It's not like it matters. But Astrid wasn't able to get rid of that feeling in the pit of her stomach.

When she left the Haddock household, she couldn't stop thinking about the girl he talked about. The way his eyes lit up when he started talking about her, and the way he described her attributes. Astrid wanted that more than anything. She wanted to be looked at for more than her looks. She wanted to be looked at for what she could do.

When she finally reached her house, she slowly opened the door and slipped inside. She carefully looked into the living room to find her father asleep with an empty beer bottle in his hand. As she tiptoed upstairs to her room, she couldn't help but remember how cheerful and loving he had been before her mother left. He was the most caring father anyone could ask for. But that person died several years ago, and now all that was left was the cold, harsh shell of a man. And she hated it.

After she changed her clothes, she crawled underneath her bed sheets. She still couldn't stop thinking about the way Hiccup thought of this mystery girl. _Is that what Ruff always talks about? Does Fishlegs think of Ruff the same way Hiccup thinks of this girl?_ She sighed to herself. All she knew was how much Hiccup respected this girl. And Astrid wished she could have that more than anything. _Lucky girl,_ she thought again before falling asleep.

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As Hiccup drove to school the following morning, he couldn't help his mind drifting to Astrid. The look on her face when she asked about Heather looked almost worrisome. And then when he started talking about her, he thought he saw Astrid's face fall. _Strange_ , he thought. He wondered if she knew how he thought about her. He kind of spilled his guts when he started talking about her. He had only meant to say she was amazing, but Astrid was more than amazing, and he had to say it. Hiccup was only further confused when he saw the look on her face after he said those things. She looked amazed and shocked and he had to wonder if she figured it out. But then she said she didn't know who she was, so he figured that she didn't take the hint.

He walked down the hallway, alone as usual, before he saw her. She was up against her locker with Scott leaning over her with that stupid dirty grin on his face. Astrid looked completely annoyed, maybe even disgusted, with him. She was looking up at him with a frown and when he tried to lean down and kiss her, Hiccup was relieved when she pushed his face away. He didn't realize how long he was staring at her until she caught his eye and a radiant smile spread over her face. She waved to him and he waved back. Scott looked over his shoulder and gave him a threatening look. Hiccup quickly scurried away to his class.

"Why'd you wave at that dork babe?" Scott asked.

Astrid rolled her eyes and replied, "He's my partner in English. Besides, he's not as bad as you think."

Scott scoffed in reply. "Are you kidding me? He's the biggest dork in this school. The only friend he has is a fatass that just somehow scored with Ruff."

Astrid started feeling angry with her boyfriend. He doesn't get to talk about Hiccup like that. "You know what Scott, maybe he doesn't have many friends because you all aren't good enough for him." She swiftly pushed him away and walked down to her class without looking back. Scott just stood back there with his mouth wide open. _No one gets to talk about Hiccup like that. He's too good for that,_ she thought. And for once, she didn't hate thinking about him like that.

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Astrid took her seat next to Hiccup, who was awake for once. He looked at her and gave her a shy smile as if he was still unsure if they were actually friends. She just rolled her eyes at him and said, "Hey Hiccup."

"Hi Astrid." She suddenly felt self-conscious around Hiccup. She started brushing her bangs out of her face, and playing with her braid. She didn't know why she was feeling like this because for one, it was _Hiccup_ , and secondly, she knows he doesn't judge. He's as good as they come. She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, and an unfamiliar feeling settled in her chest. Something she only felt around Hiccup.

"Hey Astrid, are you okay?"

Deciding it was for the best not to look into those deep green eyes, she said, "Yeah, never better," she said without looking at him. Then she added, "Why, do I look bad or something?" _God why am I feeling like this around him? He doesn't care what I look like,_ she thought.

"It's just that you look really red right now. I'm just worried, that's all. And you look fine."

' _I'm just worried.' God dammit Hiccup, why do you have to be so nice all the time._

She just blushed even more. "Oh, thanks."

Feeling a little more comfortable, Astrid turned her head towards him. She saw his forest-green eyes, auburn hair that turned red when light hit it at the right angle, a jawline with a little stubble on it, and red lips that made her own tingle. Without realizing it, she was licking her lips. _Where did that come from? What the hell is wrong with me?_ For the moment, she decided she didn't care.

They talked about their project and what they were going to do. After heated debate and too much laughter for their own good, they finally decided that they were going to do their project during Viking times. They spent about ten minutes deciding on their topic and spent the other hour and a half talking about everything except for their project. They threw some jokes, teased each other a bit, talked about grades, and exchanged bits of gossip. During that entire time, there had never been a moment when the conversation died. Astrid had never felt more at ease talking to someone.

"Hey Astrid?"

"Hmm," she said as she was drawing something on his notebook.

"You know how you asked me about Heather yesterday?"

Her pencil stopped moving and she felt her heart skip a beat. "Uhh, yeah. Why?"

"Well, I'm actually going to turn her down no matter what," he said as he looked at her.

She felt a rush of relief as he said that and she felt the jealousy escaping. But she still didn't know why she felt those things.

"Really? What came over you?" she asked a little too eagerly.

He felt a sudden burst of confidence before saying, "I decided that it doesn't matter to me if I don't get the girl of my dreams anymore because the friendship I have with you is worth so much more than hoping for the impossible."

Astrid felt lighter than ever, as if she were being lifted into heaven. His words had such an impact on her and the fact that he just admitted that their friendship was more important just made her heart flutter. Before she knew it, she felt her arms wrapped around his neck and soon after, she felt shy hands come up to her back to hug her back. She was _hugging_ Hiccup. This was her second time hugging him this week and she still felt the same warmth rising in her chest. She didn't regret it.

It was at that moment that Hiccup decided the Astrid wasn't just amazing; she was magnificent, extraordinary, and incredible _._ She was so much more than what everyone thought of her.

And as the warmth of the hug filled her up, Astrid realized that she has never felt like this with anyone before in her life. She's never felt something this amazing and wonderful with anyone but Hiccup. And it was at that moment, when she realized that Hiccup was more than what everyone thought of him, and she wanted it all.

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As the final school bell rang, Astrid couldn't stop thinking about Hiccup. She was more confused than she had ever been in her life. She finally recognized her strange feelings as affection. Affection for _Hiccup_. She would have never thought in a hundred years that she would be falling for the genius in her class. But yet here she was, and she wasn't resenting any of it.

But she was lost. She didn't know what to do. She wanted Hiccup more than she wanted anything, but he said that this friendship they had was more important to him than the girl of his dreams. And she definitely did not want to ruin the relationship they already had. She didn't want anything between them to change. She didn't want it to be awkward if they were together, where neither of them knew what to say to the other. And she most _definitely_ did not want it turning into what she had with Scott. She wanted them to be comfortable with each other. She wanted to exchange the silly jokes with Hiccup, she wanted to hear his sarcastic remarks, and she wanted to tease him to her heart's content.

But she wanted _more_. She wanted to lie against his shoulder, she wanted her fingers intertwined with his, and she wanted those lips molded to hers. But she was scared. Scared of what would happen if he rejected her. If they lost their friendship, if _she_ lost the most amazing person she's ever met, she wouldn't know what to do.

As she was walking, she didn't even realize where she was going. She was caught up in her thoughts of what _could_ and what _couldn't_ be that she hadn't noticed Scott's car pull up.

"Hey babe, come on hop in!"

She just looked at him with a little disgust. He already looked like he was getting ready for a party, and Tuff was in the back seat of the car, no doubt getting drunk already. She realized that she had never felt anything at all towards Scott. There was never a single time when she felt a spark between them when they kissed or had sex. There was _nothing_ between them. But with Hiccup, she felt sparks when their fingers brushed and she felt _fireworks_ when she hugged him. With Scott, there was nothing. But he was her ride after all…

She climbed into the passengers seat without even looking at him. He started to lean in to kiss her. His breath already smelled like alcohol. It made her stomach lurch. She held up her hand and pushed his face away.

"Just take me home, Scott."

He shook his head. "No can do babe, there's a college party and we can't make any stops if we want to get there on time."

And with that, what little patience Astrid had just ran out. She socked him in the jaw and got out of the car before looking through the open window with gritted teeth.

"Here's a word of advice for the next poor girl you end up with _Scott._ You should respect her more than you respect your stupid parties," _like Hiccup_ , "So don't call me or text me or come over to my house anymore. We are THROUGH!"

After what seemed like an eternity with Astrid glaring at him, he finally said, "But baby-"

Astrid cut him off, "No. Fuck you Scott. We're done here." With that, she walked away without looking back. As his car drove off, she realized that she didn't have a ride home and their break up had scared everyone off. _Break up_. _I just broke up with Scott,_ she thought. She thought she should feel regret, or sadness, but she felt nothing. The only thing on her mind was Hiccup. Her mind must be really focused on Hiccup because it looked like he was walking up to her. He had an eyebrow raised and she thought he wasn't real until he started talking.

"Hey Astrid, you okay? You look pretty red again."

Astrid started to blush again. _Every time he talks about my looks, I always blush! I need to stop doing that._

"Yeah, I just got a little angry, that's all."

"Really? What happened? I mean you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he replied with concern on his face.

 _There he is again. The caring Hiccup that makes me feel so… so… loved_. She didn't care how strong of a word it was because that's how he truly made her feel. He made her feel cared for and loved. And she _loved_ that. But she hated how he wouldn't feel the same way about her.

"Oh it's fine. I just did something I should have done a long time ago."

"Which was?"

She looked him straight into those beautiful green eyes and told him, "I broke up with Scott."

His eyes widened with surprise and his jaw dropped.

"You did?"

"Yeah, I did. And I don't know what kept me from doing it for so long," she replied.

"Well good. He isn't good enough for you anyways. I'm glad you aren't with him anymore. You could do soooo much better."

She was a bit taken aback by his words. She didn't know that he would feel so strongly about it. _He isn't good enough for you anyways._ She repeated his words in her head over and over again and thought that maybe, just maybe, there might be a chance that he likes her back.

She grinned at him, showing her teeth that Hiccup adored so much. "Thanks Hiccup. Did you drive to school?"

As if knowing what she was going to ask, he said, "Yes I did. And yes I'll give you a ride home."

"Who said I was asking?" Hiccup suddenly went pale. _Why would you assume something like that you idiot? Why would she need a ride from you?_ he thought.

Sensing what he was thinking, she grinned evilly at him before giving him a light punch on the arm. "Relax Haddock, I'm just joking. And if you could give me a ride that would be great."

He gave her that crooked grin that she loved so much that she couldn't help from smiling back at him. As they walked to his car, she noticed how close their hands were to touching. If she just extended her arm a bit, their fingers would brush. She wondered if the spark was still there. When they reached his car, she walked around to the passenger side and extended her arm so that her fingers would brush against his as she walked past him.

When their fingers touched, she felt that similar jolt running through her entire body. _Yep, it's still there._ The ride to their houses wasn't as silent as their last ride together. They talked some more, mostly about how stupid Scott can be, and some other things they can do on their English project.

"I still can't believe you broke up with him," he said at one point.

She frowned at him and crossed her arms. "How? Is it that hard to believe? I thought it was really obvious that we weren't working out."

When they came on a stoplight, Hiccup turned to look at her. "Well it's just that you two were _the_ couple of the school. Everyone knew that you two were dating."

Without removing her gaze from him, she said, "Maybe I'm just looking for something different."

They stared into each other's eyes for a little longer before the light turned green.

When he finally pulled up in front of her house, her hand lingered on the door handle. She then briskly turned around and socked him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" he said as he rubbed his arm.

"That was for thinking Scott and I were working out as a couple."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't even-"

Hiccup suddenly felt warm lips pressed to his cheek and the smell of shampoo lingering around his nose. Astrid felt even more fireworks from the light contact of her lips against his soft cheek and her entire insides turning to mush. She couldn't help but wonder how she would feel if their lips came together.

"And that was for, uhmm, you know… everything else." Without another word, she got out of the car and ran into her house. Hiccup lingered for a moment in his car, not moving. He reached up to feel the spot Astrid had kissed. The warmth from that spot had spread throughout his entire body, and it felt absolutely amazing.

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 **So finally! I'm so happy that I finally ended Scott and Astrid. So Astrid finally realized how she felt for Hiccup and I couldn't be more excited for the next few chapters. I'm so excited that I decided to include a sneak peak for the next one. It's short, but hey it's a sneak peek.**

As he started wrapping her ankle, she felt all the pain and hurt go away with his hands on her. He was talking about something, but she couldn't hear him. She was too caught up staring at him that she couldn't think about anything _but_ him. He looked up to meet her gaze and their eyes locked in on each other, a blue ocean meeting a green forest. She didn't realize that she was starting to lean towards him with her eyes fluttering closed.

 **Hope you enjoyed that sneak peek and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! This was my longest chapter so far and I plan to make more like it. See you next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey again guys! I am really excited for this chapter and I hope that you guys like it! Review time:**

 **Chuck1428: Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying it so far.**

 **MrAndersIversen: Don't be sorry! It's amazing that you're reviewing at all! And thank God that follow issue was fixed and I'm glad you've been enjoying these updates!**

 **SECTION: Haha thanks bro. I'm a dude by the way.**

 **The Burning Pillar: I know right! I'm so glad Snotlout and Astrid are finally through. And yep these two lovebirds are gonna come crashing into each other. Oh wow, Mr. Matchmaker, being between two lovebirds. That must be fun haha. Did they end up together? And yeah, Heather is really into Hiccup now. We'll actually see a small section that's her POV in this chapter on how she has feelings for him now even though they broke up.**

 **CosmicStories: Thank you so much! It really means a lot.**

 **Silver Blue Eyed Wolf: Haha I know right! A kiss is a kiss! Maybe another one in this chapter (hint hint).**

 **Guest: I've been thinking about that. I haven't quite decided if I will have him lost his leg. I haven't quite thought of a way yet either, but I don't think I'll have Scott do something like that. Yeah he's a bit of a jerk and yeah he's pretty alcoholic, but I would never see Snotlout going that far.**

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Chapter 9: Mine

As morning came, Astrid felt more cheerful than ever. She tried thinking back to what was causing her to feel this way. Then she remembered last night. The fireworks going off as her lips met his cheek were still blazing inside of her. She reached up to touch her lips to make sure they were still there before smiling to herself. She hopped out of bed and went to the bathroom, more eager to head to school than she had ever been in her life. _Could it really be just because of Hiccup? So what if I had a small crush on him? It's nothing serious. But then again I've never been this enthusiastic to go to school because of a crush._ She quickly put on her clothes and left her house only to find a too familiar car waiting outside.

"Hey babe! Come on in! It's just gonna be you and me today, no one else."

 _Oh that's right,_ she thought, _I broke up with Scott._ And she wasn't sorry about it at all.

"In case you forgot, we broke up. So you can go to school by yourself," she replied with a glare.

"Oh come on, you didn't mean that. You were just angry that's all. I would be angry too if I were paired with Hiccup the useless. Come on, Scotty will make it all better," he said as he held his arms out.

Astrid felt her hands clench into a fist. No one talks about Hiccup like that, no one.

"No, actually it was you that made me angry. As a matter of fact, _Hiccup_ was the only reason I didn't go absolutely insane. And he is a lot more useful than you are Scott," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh come on, do you have a crush on him now?" _Yes_. "What makes him so much better? I'm the football quarterback for crying out loud! He's just a scrawny screw up."

Astrid quickly started to feel her insurmountable happiness from this morning over come by rage and anger.

"And that's all you'll ever be, Scott. You'll just live in your high school glory for the rest of your life. But Hiccup, on the other hand, will grow up and be more than you could ever be. So get the hell out of my neighborhood because I never want to see you again!" she exclaimed as all her rage spilled out in front of him like molten lava.

He had a look of confusion in his eyes that quickly turned into a frown and a glare.

"Fine. But you'll call me. And you better hope I'm not taken by then."

 _God he is so obsessed with himself._

Not wanting to waste another minute around him, she simply replied, "I don't plan to," before storming off towards the bus stop. As much as she hated riding the bus, anything would be better than riding wit him. Anything she had felt that morning had dissipated into anger and hate. All she wanted now was the feeling from that morning. She _craved_ it.

As she was walking down the sidewalk, she hadn't noticed a black Camaro slowing down before rolling its window down. She looked over and saw Hiccup in his car with an almost shy grin on his face. As she looked at him, she couldn't help but notice how attractive he really was. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it before because looking at him now, he was the most attractive guy she had ever seen in the entire school. She wondered why she hadn't gone for him earlier.

"Good morning, Astrid. Where are you going?" he asked.

"Hmm, I don't know Hiccup. I think I'm going to run away and join the circus," she replied with a laugh. _Even his sarcasm is rubbing off on me. Oh goodness._

"Ha ha, very funny. For real though, where are you going? Don't you usually ride with Scott?"

Astrid rolled her eyes before saying, "Hiccup, do I need to remind you that I broke up with Scott?"

"Well, I know you broke up with him yesterday. I'm just wondering if you regretted it or something; regretted, you know, giving me a small peck on the cheek?" he lowered his voice on the last few words.

"Hiccup, do I need to come over there and punch you again? I didn't regret _anything_ from last night." And she really meant it. She didn't regret _anything at all_.

Hiccup started to blush which made Astrid smile. "Well, uhmm, if you don't want to ride the bus, you could always, err, you know- ride with me," he offered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

She smiled even more. "I thought you'd never ask," she said as she climbed into the passenger seat. "I like your car a lot more than Scott's by the way. And I most definitely like your car more than the bus."

"Ah, thanks."

"Oh and I almost forgot!" Hiccup raised a brow at her as she started to pull her hand back.

"OWW!" Hiccup winced as knuckles met arm. "Is it always going to be like this? Because if it is, I'm most definitely going to need some armor." She couldn't resist any longer. As soon as she got into that car she wanted to get the feeling she had that morning again. And just being around him wouldn't be enough. She needed her lips on his cheek again. She quickly leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. She immediately blushed and felt the same tingle in her lips again. She quickly looked away so he wouldn't see her blushing.

"That's for giving me a ride," she said.

Hiccup couldn't help but ask himself if that had just happened. He wasn't angry about it. Oh no he was far from angry. He was happier than he had ever been. The girl of his dreams had kissed him two times in a row. It didn't matter that it was on the cheek for him. It was so much more than any tongue-tangled kisses he had with Heather. Because with Astrid, he felt tiny explosions going off in every spot she touched. And that time, his cheek felt the biggest explosion ever.

The ride to school was silent. They were both immersed in their own thoughts about the other person sitting next to them. They walked together down the hall. Hiccup was feeling more comfortable around Astrid. After that last kiss on the cheek, he realized that punches were Astrid's way of showing her friendliness. He wasn't afraid of her anymore. Well at least not _as_ afraid anymore. He knew she considered him as a friend now even though he wanted to be so much more to her. But being friends was more than he could ever hope for. As they walked to their lockers, they were chatting about things, laughing with each other and teasing each other. Astrid felt amazing, _magical_ , as if she were being lifted from her body.

When they stopped by their lockers, Astrid turned to tell Hiccup something when she saw her. Astrid immediately felt anger well up in her chest and a deep scowl come on her face. Heather had been walking towards them, well more specifically Hiccup. She was swinging her hips from side to side, no doubt attracting all the guys's eyes, and gave Hiccup a seductive grin before wedging herself between Astrid and Hiccup. Well more like shoving Astrid out of the way. She acted as if there wasn't another person there.

"Hey, Hiccup," she said so sweetly that Astrid thought she was gonna hurl. "There's a festival in town on Friday. I was wondering if you wanted to with me?" Astrid rolled her eyes. Heather was such a fake. She always put on that stupid sweet girl personality that, for some reason, was a magnet for guys. She knew that Hiccup wouldn't say yes to her. He even told her he wasn't going to say yes to Heather, but she couldn't help but worry. What if he said yes? What if they started dating? What if they stayed together? Astrid started to panic, her small grin had fallen and she kept on thinking about all the possibilities that could come from that question. What if Astrid would never be able to have a chance with him?

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As Heather parked in her senior parking spot, she carefully made sure that her hair was in its perfect ponytail and that her makeup hadn't smeared. She smoothed at her tight skirt and got out of her car. She wanted to look as seductive as she could today. She was going to ask Hiccup out again for like the billionth time. She figured that if she got the attention from all the other guys, then Hiccup would be jealous and finally figure out what he was missing. _I don't understand why he doesn't just say yes to me already. Why does he have to make it so difficult? What's not to like? I'm hot, not stupid, and athletic. The only person that even compares to me is…_ _Astrid._ Heather scoffed at the thought of Astrid. She hated that girl since day one. Astrid always got the attention and it was only until she started dating Scott that guys began to take a notice to her.

Then she thought about Hiccup. Sure she had only dated him so that he could get her an A on the project, but as he grew over the years, _damn_ he was hot. He no longer had that incredibly round face and he was no longer shorter than most girls. But _now_ , he was a staggering 6'1", his face had become more masculine and _incredible_ , and his bony arms now had some lean muscle that she wanted rapped around herself. And there was another muscle that she surely wanted to be wrapped around.

She sauntered over to Hiccup's locker while avoiding the gaze of all the other guys. She didn't want them to think she was into them. That's when she saw them. She knew that Astrid broke up with her boyfriend for one reason or another, but she would have never expected her to go for _Hiccup_. She could see it in her eyes as she walked down the hall with him, laughing at his jokes, and poking him in the side. Little Ms. Astrid had a crush on Hiccup. There was no way Heather was letting Astrid take her Hiccup. No _way_. She made sure to wedge herself between Hiccup and Astrid while also pushing her out of the way.

Then, in the sweetest voice she could muster, she said, "Hey, Hiccup, there's a festival in town on Friday. I was wondering if you wanted to with me?" She was almost sure that her plan would work this time, by dressing as seductively as she could, she thought that Hiccup would steal at glance bellow her face and then say yes. But all he did was look over her shoulder to Astrid who was still standing behind them. _Fuck you Astrid,_ she thought.

"Sorry Heather, I would if I could, but I'm working on my project with Astrid on Friday. Maybe some other time?" he asked as nicely as he good. She then nodded, disappointed as usual, before he started to walk off with Astrid again to their class. _Hmm, Astrid working with Hiccup on a project? Working with the genius in the school to get an A? Tsk tsk Astrid, you're using him just like I did. And you'll regret it, because Hiccup will be mine. One way or the other,_ she thought.

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Hiccup offered Astrid a ride home since she didn't have a car and didn't like riding the bus. And he definitely did not want her to be driven by Scott. He was not risking any chance of them getting back together. The ride home had been silent, but far from awkward. The two of them had grown accustomed to the other and felt comfortable around each other. Especially Astrid. But at that moment, she was thinking about Heather asking Hiccup out, and how he glanced over Heather's shoulder at her as if he were expecting her to interject. She wondered if maybe he felt the same way about her. Maybe things would be alright after all.

"Hey Hiccup?"

"Yesss, Astrid?" he asked with a little tease in his voice. She smirked a little. She loved his little teases here and there.

"Why did you reject Heather?" She didn't know why she was asking that question, but she wanted some indication about his feelings towards her.

His playful grin had fallen immediately. "Haven't we been over this already? I said I wouldn't date her because-"

"Because our friendship is more important to you, I know," she interjected, "But why? Why is this so important to you?" She had to know.

"Well if you insist, I guess it's because you're really the only friend, that's a girl, I've ever had. I know it sounds a little weird, and I'm not meaning this in a creepy way, but I've always wanted to get to know the real you." Astrid's heart jumped in excitement. "I've seen the way guys look at you, as if you're a trophy or something to them. But when I saw you, I saw so much more. Someone smart, funny, and nice when she wants to be," he said with a small grin. "And now that my assumptions about you were proven correct, I don't ever want to stop being your friend." _I only want to be more_ , he thought.

Astrid was speechless; no one had ever expressed something so deep to her, let alone _about_ her. Any doubts she had now were gone. Hiccup truly cared about her, and he might even like her back. She _really, really_ liked him. Maybe even a little more than just liking.

After a few more seconds of speechlessness, she finally said, "That- That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you," she said before hugging him. By that time they were already in front of her house. When she hugged him, he hugged her back, something he hadn't done until then. Astrid felt weightless. She could barely stand as she got out of the black car. His words had such an effect on her. As she came inside, she was relieved that her father was too busy watching TV to notice her coming in. She jogged up to her room and collapse on her bed, smiling to herself. _How have I never noticed him before?_ she asked herself. She slapped herself mentally for that mistake.

But everything she felt, everything she loved, dissipated when she heard heavy footsteps making their way up the stairs and to her room. Her door slammed open and all of a sudden she felt cold hands grabbing her shirt and hoisting her up. Her father pinned her to the wall before he started shouting.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Astrid didn't know didn't understand. She hadn't messed up in a couple of days. "W-What?" she asked softly. He slammed her against the wall again, this time knocking the wind out of her. She could hardly breath.

"You've been coming home almost an hour late every day this week! What has gotten into you!?" he yelled as he slapped her across the face. She felt the blood rising to her cheek where his hand had made contact. "Are you pregnant?! Have you been seeing a doctor? If you are, then I will _personally_ get rid of that child myself!"

He threw her away from the wall and she came tumbling down the stairs. As she met the floor, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. More than a bruise, but thankfully not broken. She looked up to see her father glaring down at her.

"Useless little bitch. Just like your mother," he muttered.

She suddenly felt her eyes well up with tears before a river of tears came from her eyes. She never cried, at least not in front of any of her friends. She had to get out of there. She couldn't stay in this suffocating place any longer. She grabbed her phone and limped out of her house. Her ankle throbbed from the pain, but she endured it as she made her way out of her house. She thought about calling someone, but who would she call? Ruffnut was out with Fishlegs. As she scrolled through her contacts, she couldn't find anyone who would help her. If they heard her voice from the other end of the line, they would simply hang up.

She felt alone. But then she scrolled to her newly added contacts at the bottom of the page. _Hiccup_. She wondered what he would think if he saw her like this. She was limping, had a handprint on her cheek, and her tears were flowing like a stream in the forest. But then she thought about who he was, the things he had said. _I won't judge. You're smart. You're funny. You're amazing._ She didn't hesitate before limping down the sidewalk to get to the house at the end of the street.

She knocked on the door several times before someone came to open it. She was greeted by Hiccup with Toothless behind him. He had a huge smile on his face until he saw her. His expression immediately became one of worry and concern.

"A-Astrid?"

"Hi Hiccup." she said with a sad grin on her face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, eyes wide and full of concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I was just wondering if I could come inside."

Hiccup couldn't have stepped to the side faster. "Of course, come on in." He knew something was up, but he wouldn't push it, for now at least. He noticed how she limped to the couch and took her normal spot at the edge of large sofa. Astrid was no longer afraid of tarnishing the expensive leather. She had grown more than comfortable in the Haddock house. She felt more at ease here than anywhere else. Hiccup walked over and sat next to her. He had also grown more comfortable with her, but his shyness was still evident.

"So what did you want to work on? Did you want to continue the script?" he asked. He assumed she came here to work on their project.

"No. I was thinking- well I was thinking that we could just sit here and watch TV or something. No schoolwork. Is that okay? I hope you don't mind me staying." She knew he wouldn't mind, but she asked him out of the deep respect she had for him.

"Do you even have to ask? You're always welcome here Astrid." She looked up and ocean blue eyes met forest green. She smiled at him and he smiled back. For a moment, she thought he understood what she wanted to say: how much she liked him, how much she loved talking to him, how much she wanted to _be_ with him. But she feels that way with him all the time.

He looked away and while picking up the remote, he asked, "So what do you want to watch?"

"Whatever's on," she replied. She winced as she adjusted in her seat, her ankle was throbbing, but she tried her best not to show it. He turned on the TV and let it play _The Walking Dead._ He knew something was up with her when she winced, and he wasn't going to let her stubbornness stop him from helping her.

"Okay, seriously what's wrong? You look like you're in pain."

She looked away from him. She didn't want him seeing her weakness. She knew he wouldn't care, but still.

"It's just my ankle. I'll be fine," she replied.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, Hiccup. Just an accident." She wasn't sure if she was ready to share her abuse with him. She was able to manage just fine.

"I doubt that, but let me take a look."

"I said I was fine," she tried deadpanning him.

"You don't look fine, so lift your ankle up and let me see it," he replied with a frown.

She groaned in defeat. She carefully lifted her ankle onto the couch for him to examine it. With careful hands, he rolled up the cuff of her sweats. At the contact between their skin, she felt giant sparks where he touched that left a tingling feeling. Her heart started racing at the mere touch. She hadn't even realized how much her ankle hurt until she saw it. It wasn't broken, but it was definitely swollen and bruised. She winced when he tried to examine it.

He looked up at her face with worry before he asked, "Are you okay?"

She sighed. There was no point in hiding it now. "It just hurts a bit, that's all."

Hiccup stared at her intently for a second. "I'll be right back."

He then walked down the hall and into the bathroom. _God I wonder what happened to her_ , he thought. He grabbed a couple of bandages, pads, and some Advil for the pain. He walked back with all materials in hand before sitting right next to her. She was already lying down by the time he came back. He sat right in front of her feet and carefully placed her swollen ankle on his lap. She winced a little bit and he made sure to be careful.

"I'm just going to wrap it up alright?"

She simply nodded as she sat up to watch him work. He was so tender in the way he took her ankle into his hands and took the bandages and pads from the table. She kept on feeling tiny lightning bolts everywhere he touched and didn't touch.

As he started wrapping her ankle, she felt all the pain and hurt go away with his hands on her. He was talking about something, but she couldn't hear him. She was too caught up staring at him that she couldn't think about anything _but_ him. He looked up to meet her gaze and their eyes locked in on each other, a blue ocean meeting a green forest. She didn't realize that she was starting to lean towards him with her eyes fluttering closed. She was leaning so far forward that she started to feel a stretch in her hamstrings. Astrid felt defeat when he didn't lean in to meet her half way and kiss her.

She was about to pull back when she felt lips come into contact with hers. His soft lips that started moving against hers as her own did the same. She felt lightning strikes all over her body. She was kissing Hiccup, and he was kissing her back. She felt all her insides turn into mush. She thought to herself, _Yes! Finally! This is it! This is what I've been waiting for! I will be his, and he will be mine._

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 **FINALLY! THEY KISSED! And I know it was a little like a cliffhanger. More like an edgehanger but whatever. I was actually thinking about ending the chapter as their lips came together, but I liked the idea of looking inside Astrid's thoughts. So as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review and leave suggestions. I really like reading your opinions. And if you missed my last author's note from the last chapter, updates will be ever other day until further notice. See you guys then!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! So I'm a little short on time so I won't be able to respond to your reviews. Sorry about that! I'll be sure to include last chapter's reviews in the next one. Thanks and enjoy!**

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Chapter 10: Yours

Astrid couldn't believe it. This was what she's been waiting for. Her lips molded perfectly with Hiccups as if they were _made_ for each other. The thought of her kissing anyone else just seemed unnatural because nothing had even come close to what she was feeling right now. The short couple of seconds when her lips were moving against Hiccup's and his were moving back seemed like an eternity. Almost as if realizing what he was doing, he suddenly pulled back. He was blushing a deep shade of red and looking away. He started rubbing the back of his neck and backed away. At the loss of contact, Astrid found herself leaning forward for more as he pulled away. She wanted more. She started to blush as well.

"S-Sorry. I-I didn't mean to… you know… do that," he said. He was blushing even more from his stutter.

"Uhmm, you probably want to go," he said. _No. No, no, no. I don't want to leave, Hiccup._ She was about to respond to him, but he spoke before she could.

"I actually have to go to the auto shop anyways." He still hadn't looked up at her. "I-I'll see you tomorrow I guess? Yeah. Just, you know… make sure you close the door when you leave." Without another word, he swiftly grabbed his jacket and stumbled out the door. Astrid heard tires screeching in the driveway as the black Camaro drove away. Toothless was looking up at her with his head tilted.

"I thought he would like me back, Toothless. I guess I was wrong." Astrid had never felt more defeated in her life. It was as if the floor was swept from under her and she was tumbling down into darkness. She felt rejected. She thought that he was enjoying it; the way he moved his lips suggested just that. But then he pulled away. Sighing, she got up and started to walk back to her house. She didn't notice the pain in her ankle come back until he was gone.

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Hiccup was speeding down the road. He didn't know where he was going. All he knew is that Astrid would obviously want him as far away as possible. She obviously regretted kissing him. _She's Astrid Hofferson. I'm just Hiccup the useless. Why would she want to kiss me? She must have taken too much medication or something._ But he couldn't help but wonder if she really wanted him. Hiccup had a small feeling of hope. Hope that maybe, just _maybe_ she might like him back. When he kissed Astrid, he felt electrified, he felt her soft lips on his, and he felt her lips _moving_ against his. When his lips started moving against hers, she didn't pull back. For a second, he thought that his dreams might come true, that maybe he would finally get the girl of his dreams, that maybe he and Astrid could be together.

But then he came to his senses. He knew the effect that pain medication and concussions had on people. Even though he hadn't seen her take any medicine or show any signs of a concussion, he was sure that one or the other had happened. Who in the right mind would kiss _Hiccup_? _She was definitely dazed,_ he thought.

After what felt like hours, Hiccup finally decided to drive back home. He couldn't help the faint feeling inside him that wondered if she wanted to kiss him.

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The following day, all Hiccup could think about was Astrid. When he got up in the morning, he was not looking forward to confronting her. He knew she would let him down hard because he's _Hiccup_ and she's _Astrid_. They are practically two different species. She is so amazing in everything she does and he… well he's just smart, nothing more. If only he knew how wrong he was.

He thought that he was going to be driving Astrid to school as usual, but out of the corner of his eye he saw her get on the bus as he backed out of his driveway. _Yep. That just shows how much she doesn't want to be around me. Fuck, this sucks,_ he thought.

Astrid was thinking the exact same thing. When she woke up in the morning, she was looking forward to driving to school with Hiccup, but then she remembered last night. The way he had rejected her made her heart shatter into pieces. She figured that he doesn't want to see her, so she decided to take the bus instead. She hated all the people on that bus, especially the guys that kept checking her out. She ended up sitting at the front of the bus away from all of them. She remembered when she sat with Hiccup on the bus; she wishes he were here now with his arm around her shoulders. She sighed to herself.

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Hiccup was gathering his books from his locker while looking around to make sure Astrid wasn't coming. All of a sudden, Heather popped up right in front of him with her too-much-makeup-face and her too tight skirt.

"Hey Hiccup," she said with a grin. He liked Astrid's grin better. "Where's Astrid? Don't you two usually carpool?" she asked in a sweet voice. He liked Astrid's firm voice better. Heather was playing dumb on purpose; of course she knew they carpooled. She just wanted to set up her plan.

"No, not today. There was an erm… _incident_ yesterday between us," he replied.

"Oh? What happened?" Hiccup didn't want to tell anyone what happened between him and Astrid because if she really didn't want him, then at least he would have that memory to himself.

"It doesn't matter. All I know is that she probably doesn't want to see me anymore."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," she said in return. Little did Hiccup know that Heather was starting to put her mischievous plan into work. Heather smirked a little when Hiccup turned to face her with wide eyes.

"What do you mean you're not surprised?"

She crossed her arms and scoffed before saying, "What? You didn't know? Hiccup, the entire school basically knew." Her plan was starting to take off already.

"Know what? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Come on Hiccup. I thought you were smart. It's obvious that Astrid is using you to get an A on your project."

Hiccup couldn't believe what she was saying. Astrid would never do something like that. She's too good for those kinds of things.

As if reading his mind, Heather rolled her eyes and said, "Think about it Hiccup. Didn't _I_ use you to get an A? I acted all sweet and stuff back then, but it was only to get an A. Obviously that's not the case now, but Astrid is a lot like me and she is definitely using you to get an A."

Hiccup felt his heart explode. If that was true, then everything he had with Astrid was all built on a lie. After everything he told her, after everything they did together, he thought that maybe they could be at least friends. He could already feel his vision starting to blur. Without another word, he ran to the nearest bathroom and shut himself in one of the stalls. He leaned against the stall door and ran his fingers through his hair. _How could I be so stupid? To think that_ Astrid Hofferson _would want to be friends with_ me. _I should have seen it from the start. This is Heather all over again._

Hiccup felt like he was dying. He could barely feel his legs underneath him. He sunk down to the floor and silently sobbed. He couldn't stay here; he couldn't face her. He didn't care if he skipped his stupid classes, he just couldn't face _her_.

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As she got off the bus, Astrid could feel the stares of all the other guys on her. It was an unwelcomed feeling. By now, everyone knew how she had broken up with Scott and how she was available. Well as far as she was concerned, she wasn't available. Even if Hiccup totally rejected her, she wouldn't be able to find what she had with him anywhere else.

As she walked over to her locker, she saw Heather smirking at her while leaning against Hiccup's locker.

"What the hell do you want, Heather?" she asked bitterly.

"Oh nothing, Astrid. I just wanted to tell you that I told Hiccup the truth about you." Astrid quirked an eyebrow at that statement.

"What do you mean you told him the 'truth'?"

Heather crossed her arms before saying, "Well, I may have stretched the truth just a tiny little bit." Astrid was starting to get very angry and worried. She grabbed Heather by the collar of her shirt. Heather didn't even flinch, rather her smirk deepened.

"I just told him how you were just using him, how he was nothing to you." Astrid faltered back at what Heather had just said. Her eyes went wide when realization hit her.

"What?! You told him I was _using_ him?" Astrid yelled.

"Come on Astrid, lets face it, it's fairly obvious that you have a thing for the little nerd. Even thought most people don't see it, I can see right through you. I already claimed that nerd for myself and I am not letting you get in the way. So yes, I told him that you used him."

Astrid didn't have any words. _Oh God, what happened to Hiccup? What will he think of me? Will he even care if I tell him that I like him anymore? Or will he believe Heather instead. Oh God I have to find him._ Without another word, she ran off looking for him. He wasn't in their class and he wasn't anywhere in the hallway. She ran into Fishlegs and Ruffnut who were holding hands on a bench in the High School Commons.

"Jeez what's with you Astrid?" Ruff asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you seen Hiccup?" she asked between pants.

Fishlegs's head shot up before he said, "Yeah. I saw him run into the bathroom. He looked pretty torn up. I asked him what was wrong and he just said he had to get out. That was the last I saw of him. I'm guessing he just left."

Suddenly, Astrid didn't care if she missed all her classes, she didn't care if she had to go to detention. All that mattered right now was Hiccup. She had to fix this before it was too late. She bolted through the doors and ran the two-mile run back to their neighborhood.

When she finally reached his house, she started pounding on the door. Astrid knew that he was there because his car was hastily parked in the driveway.

"Hiccup! Hiccup it's me! Open up please!" Astrid was on the verge of tears at the thought of Hiccup never speaking to her again. After a few minutes of no response, Astrid lifted up the plant that was sitting outside the door and grabbed the key that was underneath. Hiccup had shown her where it was when he found her sitting outside his door waiting for him to get home from the forge. When she asked him why he would show that spot to her, he simply said, "I trust you." _I trust you._ His words replayed in her head over and over again like a broken record. What if that trust was gone? What if he could never trust her again? She would never use Hiccup like Heather did. Everything that Astrid did was because she _wanted_ to. Not because she wanted to trick Hiccup. As she slipped the key into the lock, she realized that she was _in love_ with him.

She loved him, and she didn't want to let him go.

She rushed up the stairs and stopped right in front of his door. She gently knocked on the door. "Hiccup… it's me. We need to talk."

"Go away Astrid." His bitter words hit her like a battering ram. She felt all the air leave her lungs. It took her a couple of seconds to steady out her breathing.

"Please Hiccup, I know what Heather told you. It's not true," she said softly. She could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh really? Well since you say it's not true I guess that we can just go ahead and carry on like nothing happened," he said with heavy sarcasm. She felt tears slowly fall from her eyes at his words. "Did the kiss even matter at all to you, Astrid? Did you feel _anything_? Or do you just enjoy torturing me?"

"No Hiccup, it's not like that!" she said as she sobbed.

"Why should I believe you Astrid?"

At that point, Astrid knew what she had to do. Even if it didn't make a difference in what he thought of her, she had to let him know. She had to let him know that their moments together were the best moments of her life, that the kiss made her feel like she was flying through the sky, that she… _loved him_.

"Because… Because I love you Hiccup," she said silently. A couple of minutes passed by and he hadn't said anything. She sighed in defeat. _It's over,_ she thought. She was about to turn around and leave before the door opened. She looked up to see a wide-eyed Hiccup looking at her. In his eyes, she didn't see anger, or disappointment, or sadness. She only saw surprise and shock in his eyes.

"What?"

"I- I love you Hiccup."

"R-Really?" he asked.

Without removing her gaze from his eyes, she said, "Yes. I have for longer than I've realized." They were frozen for a minute; neither of them knew what to do.

She decided to ask the question that was taking over her mind. "Do you- Do you feel the same way?"

His shoulders dropped as he released a large sigh. She was suddenly filled with worry and fear that he wouldn't love her back, but then she saw that crooked smile that she loved so much come across his face.

"Yes." And before she knew it, his lips crashed into hers. She felt the same lightning strikes when he kissed her. She thought that nothing could be better than what she felt last night, but when he put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer, she felt out of this world. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her tongue brush over his bottom lip. He gladly parted and let her enter and explore his mouth. His own had brushed over hers and began to explore hers as well.

The kiss was the greatest thing she had ever felt. Having sex with Scott didn't even come close to what she felt right now. After what felt like forever, they finally parted to breathe.

"Wow," he said.

She smiled up at him, "Wow."

And then she crashed her lips into his. She felt the same lightning strikes all over her body as he pulled her into his bedroom. They fell onto the bed and Astrid giggled against Hiccup's lips as their tongues tangled together. After parting again for some much needed air, Astrid laid against Hiccup's chest as he sat up to lean against his bedframe.

"I love you," she said, "I've been waiting for so long to say it. I love you, Hiccup."

"I never thought I'd hear you say it. I love you so much more than you could imagine." He kissed the top of her hair as he stroked her back.

She looked up at him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She smiled at him before she laid her head back on his chest.

"Well I guess I should ask now," he said. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Astrid Hofferson will you go out on a date with me?"

She sat up and gave him a light punch on the arm. "That's for waiting until I said I loved you to ask." She then kissed him and said, "I would love to go on a date with you Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third."

He rolled his eyes and stole another kiss before she laid her head back on his chest. As she was stroking small circles on his chest, he couldn't help but say, "So skipping school Hofferson? That is unacceptable. I might just have to report to the dean." he said with a smirk. Sarcasm was always one of Hiccup's strong suits.

She punched him in the side before saying, "Shut up Haddock." He chuckled to himself as he pulled her in closer. They were both happier than they had ever been before.

0000

 **I know it's shorter chapter, but hey it's finally happened! And stupid Heather for turning Hiccup against Astrid. We'll see just how she reacts to them being together in the next chapter. Also, if you guys have some time, I have a new story that I might just continue. It's called Servitude and I just posted a quick preview. Tell me what you guys think of it. Thanks! See you guys next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! So if you haven't heard, updates will now be every Sunday. Really sorry about that!**

 **Cloud4012: So do I! I love Hiccstrid! I hope you like the reaction!**

 **Rogue: Yeah, I have some summer plans that I am not very enthusiastic about.**

 **The Burning Pillar: Once again, you are amazing. Thank you so much for the review! Gah I hate Heather! I hope that you like her reaction and what Astrid does! Heather has some plans up her sleeves to get Hiccup and they will not be pretty haha. Thank you so much!**

 **HiccupHaddockIII: Wow Hiccup! I didn't think you would be reviewing your own fanfic! Haha, I'm really glad you like it! I tried to take a lot of techniques from the really good fanfics and incorporate them into my own.**

 **Pegueng: Thanks! I'm glad that you still enjoy this one! And I definitely like Rufflegs more than Rufflout or Ruffret. Thank you for the review!**

 **Silver Blue Eyed Wolf: Don't worry about it! I probably wouldn't have seen it until then anyways. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Guest: We will definitely have some Scott revenge coming soon ;)**

0000

Chapter 11: Resolution

Astrid woke up the following morning with a smile on her face. She couldn't wait to get to school with Hiccup. As she got dressed, she was about to put make up on so that she could look good for him, but then she remembered the type of guy Hiccup was. He was the non-judging, caring, funny, and smart kind of guy. He was the type of guy that every girl would want. The fact that he was hot was just an added bonus. Astrid decided she didn't need make up around Hiccup because nothing had changed between them. Well aside from the fact that they are _dating_ now, Hiccup was still the same guy and he wouldn't care about her looks.

As she walked down the stairs, she made sure to avoid waking up her father. She did not want to ruin her good mood or her ankle. When she opened the door, she saw the black Camaro waiting by her mailbox. She smiled and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Hey," she said before giving him a quick peck on the lips. Despite its quickness, Astrid felt her lips get electrocuted.

"Hey," he said with his crooked grin. As he started driving down the street, they started to talk about their project.

"We should start filming today," he said, "I know that the film isn't due for another couple of weeks, but still. We should start."

Astrid bit her lip in excitement. She knew what he meant when he said that they should start filming. The last time they worked on the project, Astrid suggested that if he's going to be the groom and she's going to be the bride, they should kiss just to give the film some authenticity. Hiccup blushed when she suggested that since they hadn't started dating yet, but she started jumping inside when he agreed to the idea. She didn't think they would kiss until then.

"Okay, sure. We can start today."

After a few more minutes of silence, he asked, "D-Do you still want to do that kiss scene you suggested last time?"

Astrid giggled at how much he was blushing. She kissed him on the cheek whispering, "Of course. I wanted to do it then and now I want to do it so much more."

He grinned in response. After they had parked, Astrid started to get her things together. As she opened the door, she saw that Hiccup was hesitant in getting out.

"What's wrong?"

He gave her a look that let her know there was something bothering him.

"Nothing, it's just…"

"Just what?"

He met her gaze and said, "You don't have to be with me in school if you don't want to. I mean I totally understand since we are practically two different species, I won't-" He was cut off by a kiss with an eager tongue slipping into his mouth. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally parted for a breath.

Astrid cupped Hiccup's face in her hands and said, "I don't care what anyone thinks, Hiccup. They are all stupid not to see how great you are, and I want to show them the real you."

"But-" he started but was suddenly cut off.

"Shut up and get out of the car before I make you."

He sighed and got up. Astrid hated how he thought so lowly of himself. She hated herself for not seeing the real him earlier in her life. She wished that she could go back in time so that she could walk up to him a kiss him in the middle of the school.

As he hesitantly walked to her side, she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. She pulled him as close to her as possible without him tripping all over her. As they entered the school, Astrid noticed how everyone's head turned in their direction and saw their jaws dropping at the site of their intertwined fingers. Hiccup loosened his grip so that Astrid could easily get out if she wanted to.

But she only tightened her hold on his hand. They walked over to Fish and Ruff who were chatting at the side of the hallway. Fish was the first to notice that they were hand in hand. He turned Ruff's head to them and Ruff only gave a sly grin at the site of the two lovebirds.

"What took you so long, Astrid?" she asked.

"What do you mean? It only took us fifteen minutes to get here," Astrid responded.

Ruff laughed before saying, "No I mean what took you so long to finally come to your senses and get what you wanted."

Hiccup blushed when Ruff gestured to him. "Haha, yeah," Hiccup said nervously while rubbing the back of his neck. Astrid nudged him a little to get his attention and smiled at him as if telling him that it's okay. He returned her smile with one of his own that made Astrid's heart flutter. She then kissed him on the lips to let the entire school know that he was hers. Ruff made a disgusted noise as their kiss deepened. Astrid held onto Hiccup as tight as she could as if he would leave any second. Not that he would. Not that he _ever_ would. As they parted, Astrid could see that that kiss was all Hiccup needed. He gave her that toothy grin and squeezed her hand as he looked into her eyes.

The trance that they were pulled in was interrupted by a loud outburst. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" someone yelled. Astrid and Hiccup jumped at the sudden distraction only to see a furious Heather storming over to them. She stopped right in front of Hiccup with anger in her eyes.

"What the fuck, Hiccup? Did you not hear what I told you yesterday? She's _using_ you!" Heather screamed.

"Sorry Heather, but you're wrong," Hiccup said as he looked down to Astrid who was still holding onto his hand for dear life.

Seeing what he was doing, Heather responded with, "Oh so what, she tells you that she loves you and now you suddenly believe her? Hiccup come on, people like Astrid are ruthless; they will do anything to be on top."

Hiccup didn't respond to her. Heather rolled her eyes in return.

"Get out of here Heather," Astrid said through gritted teeth.

Heather glared at Astrid before turning back to Hiccup. "Have you finished your project yet, Hiccup?"

Hiccup was about to say something but was cut off again by Heather. "No? That's what I thought. Once your done with that project, she will leave you. That _slut_ only likes you for your grades and will go right back to Scott when she's done with you."

By that time, everyone in the hallway was starting to crowd around them in a circle. That was it. Astrid couldn't take it anymore. She was able to put up with Heather's bashing only to save Hiccup the embarrassment. But that was the last straw; _no one_ talks about Astrid Hofferson like that. With her free hand, Astrid punched Heather right across the jaw. Heather collapsed on the floor with a hand on her jaw and shock in her eyes. She looked up to Hiccup with pleading eyes.

"You see what she does, Hiccup? She _hurts_ people. Just look at what she did to me!"

Astrid rolled her eyes at the fact that Heather was still trying. But she felt a wave of fear overcome her when she felt Hiccup's hand leave hers. She looked over to him only to see him helping Heather off of the ground. Astrid felt defeated. _This is it,_ she thought, _I've lost him_. When Heather was finally standing, Hiccup stepped back towards Astrid and wrapped his arm around her waist. Astrid looked up at him with bright eyes. She hadn't lost him after all.

Heather had a look of confusion on her face. She must have thought that Hiccup was helping her get up because he wanted to be with her when he was actually just a kind person.

"I'm sorry Heather, but Astrid is not you. She does not use people like you. She is so much better than that," he said. Astrid felt like crying tears of joy. He chose her over the girl that has been after him longer than she had. She looked at him with the biggest smile on her face. As Heather stormed off, Hiccup turned to meet Astrid's gaze.

"You are amazing," she said.

Hiccup simply kissed her in response before walking with her to their class.

0000

If anyone told Astrid that she would be dating the kid that always sleeps next to her in her classes, she would have punched them square in the face. But now that she was resting her head on his shoulder during class work time, she felt as if nothing was wrong in the world. It was just him and her. He pushed her bangs to the side so that he could get a better view of her face.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked. Astrid punched him in the ribs with a laugh.

"Ow what was that for?" he said as he rubbed his side.

Astrid shrugged. "I don't know."

Hiccup chuckled. "I'll never understand you and violence, Hofferson." Astrid punched him again.

As the bell rang, Hiccup and Astrid walked out of the classroom side by side, both beyond content. As they left the school to go to Astrid's softball practice, Astrid attempted to explain the rules to Hiccup.

"Okay, so if you catch the ball in the air, then the person is out?" he asked.

"Yep. As long as it doesn't bounce then it's an out."

"What if you catch the ball in the air after it bounces?"

"It doesn't work like that, babe. You can't just let the ball bounce and then catch it. It's against the rules," she said while giggling at his ignorance.

"What? That's dumb. So I'm guessing that you can't get someone out if you throw the ball at them?" he asked with sarcasm in his voice.

"Nope. That's not allowed either," she said.

"God how do you remember all these rules, woman?" he said with a laugh.

They were both laughing at his judgment on all the rules of softball when Scott interrupted them.

He gave Astrid that cocky smile of his before wedging himself between Astrid and Hiccup. Astrid felt like throwing up at the sudden change in smell. Hiccup smelled amazing. He smelled like a car shop mixed with soap whereas Scott was all B.O. She felt her lunch starting to come up her throat. Hiccup just stood there at the side with a frown on his face.

"Hey babe," Scott said as he placed his beefy arm around Astrid. She quickly twisted his wrist and pushed him away. She moved towards Hiccup. Relief washed over her as she felt her lunch go back into her stomach from the smell of Hiccup. God she loved that smell. She never wanted him to shower if that was his natural smell.

"What the hell Scott? We broke up a while ago!" she yelled.

He laughed in response. "Yeah I know you did. But when I heard that you were dating this _nerd_ , I knew that something was wrong in your head. Did you get a concussion, babe? It's all right, I'll forgive you," he said with his arms held open. Astrid clenched her fists when he referred to Hiccup as a nerd. He was so much more than that.

"No, you dick. I did not get a concussion. As a matter of fact, I've never been more right in the head. I'm in _love_ with Hiccup," she said as she grabbed Hiccup's hand. She saw his face brighten up when she said she was in love with him. Astrid felt her heart skip a beat when she saw his smile out of the corner of her eye.

Scott's face dropped when he saw her grab his hand. "Okay babe, now you're really freaking me out."

"Fuck off, Scott. There was never anything between us. Just get the hell out of here," she replied.

Scott scoffed and muttered something under his breath. He walked past Hiccup and hit is shoulder with his own before saying, "You might be with her now, but I will always be her first." Scott walked away with a cocky grin on his face. Astrid felt anger well up inside of her and before she knew it, Scott was on the ground. Her fist throbbed from two hard punches in the same day.

She looked back at Hiccup and she felt her heart break when she saw the sadness on his face. She wanted to let him know how sex with Scott had no meaning to her and how when the time came, she would feel as if she were having sex for the first time ever because with Hiccup, any action felt more significant than anything she had ever done with Scott.

She raised Hiccup's hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "Hiccup, I want you to know that anything and everything that I had with Scott doesn't even come close to what I have with you. I want you to know that every kiss we share sends jolts through my body that sex with that _thing_ on the floor never could. I love you." She then kissed him on the lips.

"I supposed you have some expectations now," he said with a grin on his face. Astrid giggled and punched him in the arm.

"Don't even think about it, Haddock," she said as they walked down to the softball field. As Hiccup was getting ready to go to his car after Astrid got all her things on the field, she said, "Don't forget, my practice ends at seven. Then we can start filming. You better have something planned."

Hiccup gave her a devilish smile. "I already do."

With one last kiss, Hiccup walked away to his car. Astrid grinned as she saw her boyfriend wave to her as he got into his car. She would never admit this to anyone, but she was so excited for their date that she felt like screaming like a little girl. From behind her, she heard Ruffnut scoff at her.

"You two are such-Ow!" Ruffnut didn't even get to finish her sentence before Astrid hit her in the arm. "I think Hiccup is going to be in an abusive relationship with you."

Astrid laughed. "As if Fish isn't?"

"Eh, Fish can take it with all the fat on it."

"You just called your boyfriend fat!"

Ruff winked at her. "I like 'em big."

Astrid rolled her eyes as they made their way to their coach.

0000

 **So in case you guys didn't see the A/N. Updates will now be every week. I'm really sorry about that. I'll see you guys next Sunday!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey again! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Some thinking on Astrid's part. For some reason, Fanfic wasn't holding the bold text, so I apologize if it's difficult to distinguish the A/N from the actually story.**

 **Azizi09: I'm so glad you like it! And I can't wait either! Haha**

 **MrAndersIversen: Thanks! I hope this lives up to your expectations!**

 **Pegueng: I'm excited to see how Heather and Scott are taking this information. I hope you are still as excited as Astrid is!**

 **Guest: That would be rather interesting. I haven't thought about that part of their relationship yet though so we'll have to wait and see.**

 **Guest 2: Oh yeah, haha. I wanted to keep his name for this modern AU, but I wasn't quite sure how to incorporate it so I just made it a nickname that stuck. Maybe we'll see some more of his real name, but I more just included his real name for recognition that his real name isn't actually Hiccup. That would be kind of weird for today's world. But then again Kanye's kid is name North, so I don't know.**

 **Guest 3: No! He doesn't NOT have his fake foot yet. I should have made that clearer in the previous chapters.**

 **PuppeteerOllie: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!**

 **Silver Blue Eyed Wolf: I ALWAYS wish I had that power in all fanfics I read. It just gets me to the point where I'm like "GAHH" and I just wanna jump in there and beat the crap out of some of them.**

 **Flopi216: Thank you! Hiccstrid for da win!**

 **UnbreakableWarrior: Thank you!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Not Yet

For the first time in a very long time, Astrid did not want to be at softball practice. It used to be one of the few things that Astrid would look forward to every day. Before Hiccup, Astrid hated almost everything that didn't have to do with softball. She hated having to go to school and listen to her damn teachers, she hated riding with Scott, and she hated going back to her house. The softball field was like her sanctuary. It was her place of comfort that gave her a sense of belonging. She could easily block out all the problems in her life and just focus on the ball that was coming straight at her. But that was before Hiccup.

Now, Astrid wanted nothing more than to just be with him. The way he made her feel was so _different_ than what she was used to. If she were to be perfectly honest with herself, it kind of freaked her out a bit. It freaked her out that the only person in her life to make her feel that way was a guy that she hadn't noticed until he became her partner. Astrid would never forgive herself for not seeing him earlier. It infuriated her that _Heather_ saw something in him before she did. It pissed her off more than anything. But every time she was with Hiccup, it made everything feel less like an obligation, and more like an opportunity. She loved going to school with him, she loved riding home with him, she loved going to his house and just sitting on the couch with him, and she loved _him_. God Astrid really loved him. She didn't even know she could feel this strongly about anything or anyone before in her life.

So as she stood there in the middle of the outfield listening to Coach Gobber bark about heaven knows what, she couldn't help her mind drifting away from her body. The only thing that brought her back into reality was the sudden shout of her name.

"Astrid!" he barked.

She blinked a few times before looking up to find all her teammates staring at her with raised eyebrows. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ruff giggling to herself at the sight of her confused friend.

"Did ye' listen to a single word I said?" he asked while waving his clipboard around.

"Uhh-"

Gobber wiped his hand down his face. "Astrid! Get yer head in the game! It's time for some drills and I'm leaving you in charge of them since I need to pick up my bag from my auto shop!"

"Alright. Got it."

Gobber turned on his heel and limped away while muttering something under his breath about teenagers and their lack of attention span.

Astrid stepped forward so that she was facing her teammates.

"Alright guys, you heard coach. Lets start with catches. Group up and get started!"

Astrid quickly grouped up with Ruff and two of her other teammates: Joyce and Valerie.

As they grouped up to form a square in the outfield, Ruff asked, a little louder than Astrid would have liked, "So what was on your mind, Astrid? Thinking about a special someone?"

Ruff had a grin on her face while she raised her eyebrows.

Joyce caught on to what she was suggesting and said, "I think she was thinking about her _new_ boyfriend. I don't know why you would want anyone other than Scott. He's hot stuff!"

Astrid rolled her eyes at her teammate. "If you want him so bad, then why don't you go get him for yourself," she said as she threw the ball at her.

As practice went on, Astrid got annoyed at the persistence of her teammates over her new boyfriend.

"Is he good in bed?"

"Does he have a magic dick?"

"He is pretty hot now that I think about it."

"When you're done with him, can I have him?"

"Is his tongue magical?"

"Have nerds been holding out on us?"

"I'd liked his pencil in my sharpener."

By the end of practice, Astrid was exhausted from all the stupid questions everyone was asking. It must have shown own on her face as she got her things together since Ruff came up to her.

"Jeez Astrid, what's with you? You look pissed at something. Are you already ashamed of your new boyfriend?" she asked with a smug grin.

Astrid spun on her and punched her in the arm. "No, I'm not actually. And I wouldn't be talking since you're dating a nerd just like me."

Ruff raised her hands in the air. "Well I don't look like I'm about to hurl every time someone talks about him."

Astrid chuckled. She knew her friend was just joking, but it struck a nerve every time someone talked about Hiccup as if he just got lucky with her. If anyone were lucky, it would be her. Hiccup was the greatest boyfriend that she could ever ask for. He was attentive, sweet, and smart.

"It just annoys me whenever people act like he's the lucky one, you know? I'm the lucky one for getting to date _him_. I'll see you later Ruff," she said as she slung her bag over her shoulder. She walked down the hallway away from the locker room to where Hiccup said he would pick her up. Astrid hoped that he would actually be there. Scott was always at least thirty minutes late whenever she asked him to pick her up. She was so used to his being late that she almost sat on the bench next to the door out of habit of waiting.

But as she looked through the glass of the door, she saw the black Camaro waiting for her. Hiccup was in the driver's seat with his head resting on his hand. He looked like he was asleep. Astrid smiled to herself at the sight of him. _He's adorable when he's asleep_ , she thought to herself. She would never let him know that, of course. Astrid didn't want Hiccup thinking she was a big old softy.

She pushed the glass doors open and knocked on his window. He jumped and hit his head on the roof of his car. She could see him mouth an "Ow" as he rubbed his head. He unlocked the door and she hopped in.

"Hey there, sleepy head," she said with a grin on her face.

"You owe me an ice pack," he said with a smirk.

Astrid rolled her eyes at him as she tossed her bag into the back seat. "So, do you have all the props set up?"

"Yeah, they're in my back yard. Only thing I couldn't find were Viking-like shoes so we'll just have to not film my feet."

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek as he pulled the car away from the curb.

"Wait, what size shoe are you?" she asked.

"Uhh, nine, I think."

Astrid had a devilish grin on her face as she looked at him.

"Oh no, what's with the smile?" he asked through a laugh.

"Well, you're just going to have to wear someone else's shoes."

"Oh really, Astrid? I don't think I can fit in your boots. Your feet are tiny!" he said.

She laughed and punched him in the arm. Astrid didn't think that spending time with her boyfriend could be so… _easy_. She thought it would be awkward not knowing what to say to each other. With Scott, it was easier because it was all about sex with him and he did all the talking about stupid parties and football plays. But with Hiccup, it was different. At first, she didn't want to lose him, so she was cautious. But now, she's never felt more at ease around someone. She loved every minute she spent with him.

"Maybe _my_ boots are too small for you, but I know someone's that aren't," she said.

"And who would that be, milady?"

She turned to face him before saying, "Ruffnut."

"Ruffnut?"

"Yes Ruffnut! Have you seen her feet? She has the feet of a giantess! You should be able to fit in them."

"Ugh, I don't know…"

Astrid clapped her hands together and brought them to her face. "Please?" she asked with her puppy-dog face. She should feel embarrassed making these silly faces, but she knew that Hiccup wouldn't care. She could be herself with him.

"Fine. How can I say no to that face anyway."

She grinned before directing him to Ruff's house. She pulled out her phone to tell her friend.

 _Hey, Ruff we're going to steal your boots okay?_

 _Wtf, what for?_

 _Hiccup and I need them._

 _For what? Trying some weird sex? If it works out, can you tell me what it was?_

 _What? No! You crazy bitch. LOL. We need them for out project. Just please let us use them._

 _Fine. But you are going to have dirty sex with him right? I wonder what kind of magic he's been holding you out on. ;)_

 _Stfu._

Astrid couldn't help but wonder what it would be like with Hiccup. His ass was certainly a plus with the jeans he was wearing, his broad shoulders and jawline were to _die_ for. And his long fingers, _oh_ she wondered what she could do with- _Wait no! It's too early for this kind of thinking! I don't want_ this _to be Scott all over again,_ she thought to herself.

"So what'd she say?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah we can use them."

"Awesome, just what I wanted," he responded sarcastically. Astrid rolled her eyes at him with a smile on her face.

When they got to Ruff's house, Astrid walked up to her garage only to find Ruff smirking at her.

"What?" Astrid asked.

"Oh nothing, I'm just thinking of all the positions you two can get into in that car of his. The leather must be amazing on your back, or his. Whichever way you guys prefer."

"Ruff! I'm not ready for that with him yet!"

"Why not? You were in Scott's bed after like two weeks!"

"Yeah, but this is different. I don't want this to be how it was with Scott. I want to actually be with _him_ and not just his dick."

"Whatever."

Astrid smirked and grabbed Ruff's boots before jogging back to Hiccup's car.

"Ready?" he asked.

Astrid smiled at him. "Ready."

* * *

Filming took a lot longer than Astrid would have liked. They kept on laughing whenever they had a ridiculous line. Well, she was the one that kept on laughing. Whenever Hiccup did his Viking voice she would start cracking up.

"Astrid we're never going to get done with this if you keep on laughing like that!" he said through his own laughter.

"It's just your Viking voice! It's _making_ me crack up!" she said through her giggles.

"I just have too much raw vikingness for you to handle!" he said while he puffed his chest out.

"Oh I'm sure you do!" she said before tackling him to the ground and kissing him on the lips.

What was meant to be a quick peck on the lips turned into a full make-out session. Astrid was straddling Hiccup as he was lying down in the grass. Astrid was more than grateful that his Dad wasn't around very often. Her tongue brushed his bottom lip. He eagerly let her in and brushed her tongue with his own. She moaned at the contact as their tongues began to dance together.

She fit into his body better than she could have ever imagined. She never wanted to leave his warm embrace. She only wanted to be _closer_.

Astrid hadn't even noticed her hand moving under his shirt until he broke their kiss and looked down to where her hand was. She was just as confused at the sight of her hand riding up his chest as he was. _How had it gotten there?_ she thought. Under her fingertips she felt his toned muscles near his chest. _Wow Haddock, I didn't know you had some muscle_. She soon lost control of her hand again as it started kneading through his muscles. _Oh God his chest. His shoulders! I could feel those all day._

"Uh, Astrid? What are you doing?"

"I don't know," she said.

He pulled her hand away from him and she couldn't help but worry that he didn't want her. She was glad that he stopped her because it showed how he was different from all the other guys, but she couldn't help but wonder. Anyone else, Scott especially, would take what she was offering in a heartbeat, but Hiccup… Hiccup was a _real_ man.

"We should stop," he said as he gently pushed her off of him.

"S-Sorry," she said with a voice crack.

She knew why he stopped her, but what if he really didn't want her at all. It was a ridiculous thought because this is _Hiccup,_ but a part of her couldn't help but wonder.

"I-Is it me?" she asked refusing to look at him.

He grabbed her hands and raised them, causing her to look up at him. "No, no! It's not you! It's me. I just don't think that we- I am ready for this. I want this to be about you and me and nothing else," he said with a soft smile. She smiled up at him. He was so thoughtful: always thinking about anyone but himself. He was the _best_ kind of person.

"I love you, Hiccup."

"I love you too." And then he kissed her.

* * *

They finished the scenes they scheduled for today with relative ease. They were able to get past all their goofy scenes by focusing the camera away from Astrid so that it wouldn't catch her silently laughing.

By the time they finished, it was already 11:00pm and it was pitch black outside. He offered her the guest room in case she didn't feel like walking home, but Astrid told him that her Dad would "worry" if she didn't come home. Since she still had all her softball things with her, he offered her a ride back to her house even though it was only a few houses away.

"No, I can easily walk over there, Hiccup."

"Astrid, it's pitch black and you have all this gear! The least I can do is just take you home."

"No!"

"Yes!"

Eventually, she gave in. If there was anyone that was more stubborn than her, it would be Hiccup. When he pulled up to her house, she punched him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed his arm.

"That's for being so stubborn," she said with a grin. Then she kissed him.

"That's for, well I think you know the rest by now."

She then got all her stuff and walked up to her house. She watched Hiccup turn around and make his way back home before she opened the door. Astrid could already smell the alcohol as she stepped inside. Tonight was going to be a bad night.

From the living room, she heard her father shout, "Where the hell have you been!? Running off on me just like your mother?!"

"I-I was out working on a project," she said with a shaky voice as she started walking up the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going? Get over here, you bitch!" Astrid recognized that tone; it was the tone he used whenever he was about to-

"WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GET OVER HERE!" he barked.

Astrid flinched at his shouting. As she walked over to him, she felt herself trembling. This was the man that used to hold her hand in the park, this was the man that used to be kind and loving. She wished she took up Hiccup on his offer. Anywhere would be better than here.

She closed her eyes as she felt the searing pain on her cheek and tears come down her face.

* * *

 **Well here's another chapter! I hope that the kiss scene was all right with you guys. I'm not very good with details like that. Anyways, I thought I should let you know that I might be a little late with the next chapter because I will be gone from Monday through Friday. Just wanted to give you guys a little heads up. See you next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Alright, I'm finally back from my trip! I just got back yesterday and I realize how late this is. Updates will still be Sundays as usual but there will not be an update this weekend since this chapter is so close to then. Sorry if this chapter is a bit shorter, but if I were to go on, it would be a lot longer than usual. And NO, Astrid is not being sexually abused by her father. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 13: Better

Tears were coming down her face like a river. As she yanked the door open, she didn't even bother to put on her shoes before running out. She was fucked up and she knew it. She was sure that there would be bruises all over her body. She could feel the onset of a black eye and the sting from a split lip. It hurt to breath and her left thigh was experiencing the after burn of a belt coming across the skin.

She had to get out. Astrid couldn't stay in that house any longer. Not with that man: the man that she once called her father, the man that once cared for her, the man that was once… _someone_. But of course, people change. He has never been the same since her Mom left. Astrid was left all alone with a man that no living person should spend a minute with.

Yet here she was, years later and she was still holding on. But now, she had to get out. Her cheeks were crusted over from the tears and her leg really, _really_ hurt. It was late so none of her "friends" would pick her up and she didn't have a car to get anywhere. There was only one person that she could, and would, go to. Someone who would be there anytime she needed a shoulder to cry on without judgment. So she ran to his house, well more like limped. Astrid would never admit this, but she didn't just need someone, she _wanted_ someone to be there for her.

She rang his doorbell at least a billion times before he finally came down. Hiccup was rubbing the sleep from his eyes and he was dressed in basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He looked like he had just been woken up in the middle of the night. Well she supposes he had been, but considering that they had been working just a few hours earlier was a little strange. At the sight of her, his eyes widened in shock and immediately turned to worry. Despite her cold body and broken heart, she felt a little spark of warmth from his caring expression.

"A-Astrid? What are you doing here? Are you alright?" he asked.

She didn't want to look too weak, so she settled on, "Oh yeah, I'm definitely fine. The cuts a bruises are just make-up."

"Astrid, seriously. What happened? You know what? Get in here," he said as he placed a comforting hand on her back as he escorted her to the couch. "And by the way, leave the sarcasm to me," he said through a nervous chuckle.

Once Astrid was situated on the couch, Hiccup went into the kitchen. He came out a few minutes later with a washcloth and a bowl of warm water. He sat down next to her and pulled her closer to him. Astrid didn't realize what he was doing until she was locked in a warm embrace. She quickly returned the hug, realizing that that this was the most comfort she's received in the past hour.

She didn't even notice herself starting to sob into his shoulder. Hiccup started caressing the back of her hair as he whispered hushed reassurances into her ear. After a couple of minutes, he finally pulled away and looker her straight in the eye. In those forest green eyes, Astrid saw exactly what she wanted to see: love.

She never wanted to let Hiccup go. She didn't know what she would do without him.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked. He wasn't forcing her to say anything and she knew that.

She shook her head as she wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Not really."

"Astrid, I hope that one day, you will tell me what is going on. You say that you can handle it by yourself, but that doesn't mean you _have_ to handle it by yourself."

She cupped his cheek before saying, "I will. Just not tonight. Please."

Hiccup sighed as he leaned into her touch. "Alright."

He then took the washcloth and started to rub the dried up blood and dirt away from her face. Astrid couldn't stop looking at him. _How did I get so lucky?_ she thought, _How have I never noticed him?_ She would never forgive herself for that. Everything about him was _perfect_. She wouldn't change anything about him. She dreaded the moment when he would be finished washing her because she would most definitely have to go back home.

He looked a little unsure of something as he threw the washcloth in the bowl. He was probably thinking of the best way to tell her to go home. It was the middle of the night after all. He rubbed the back of his neck before he spoke up.

"Uhmm, Astrid? I'm really worried about you and all, so-"

She cut him off. She didn't want to hear him say it.

"It's fine, I'll go home," she said trying to hide the disappointment. As she got up, she felt his hand on her wrist. She looked at him and saw his widened eyes.

"No, no! I was going to say I'm really worried about you, so I was going to ask if you wanted to stay here for the night." Astrid's eyes widened. Hiccup must have noticed her expression and quickly said, "No, I don't mean it like that! We have an extra room upstairs and you could stay-"

He was cut off when Astrid quickly jumped onto him. She was laughing. He wondered if he said something funny or did something wrong.

"Astrid?"

She pulled away and Hiccup saw her smile for the first time since she came back.

"I know you didn't mean it like that, Hiccup! But yes, I would love to stay the night if it's okay with you," she said.

He quickly nodded his head. If it were anyone else, Scott for sure, they would have turned her away or tried to get her to sleep with them. But here was Hiccup, offering her an entire room to stay in. God she loved him, she love him a lot.

She gave him the biggest kiss she could muster before letting out from under her.

He showed her where the room was and Astrid's jaw dropped when she saw it. It was at least three times bigger than her normal room and was more like master bedroom than a guest room. It was connected to its own private shower and the bed was queen sized. She looked over to Hiccup, half expecting for him to say that this was the wrong room.

When he said nothing, she asked, "Do I get all this?"

He replied, "Yeah. You got the bathroom over there all to yourself. If you need anything, I'll be across the hall. My room is directly across from yours."

She turned to him and hugged him again. She buried her face in his shoulder before saying, "Thank you."

He smiled and said, "Anything for you. Good night."

She pulled away and said, " 'Night. Love you."

As he walked away, he looked over his shoulder and smiled before saying, "Love you too."

* * *

" _You worthless shit! You were supposed to bring back my things hours ago! What the hell were you thinking?!"_

 _Astrid was confused. He was never like this. He was never like this in front of her, at least._

" _D-Daddy? I-I couldn't find the things so I had to ask for help."_

 _The man took off his built and rolled the end around his hand._

" _Well I'll make sure it'll never happen again," he said as he approached her._

" _D-Daddy?"_

 _The little girl backed into the wall before shutting her eyes as leather met skin._

Astrid woke up gasping for breath. Tears were coming down her eyes and she was confused for a moment as to where she was until she realized that she was in the Haddock household.

It was the same nightmare that she always had. The first time was always the worst. She looked over at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was 3:00 AM. She tried to fall back asleep, but just like all the other nights sleep wouldn't overcome her again. Despite the fact that she was safe inside the house, she couldn't help but feel _unsafe_ knowing that there was a man like that just down the street.

Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. She threw off the sheets and sat up on the edge of the bed. _Maybe Hiccup's awake. I'll just tell him that I was cold and that it would be better if I stayed with him. Yeah! That'll work! I'm just cold, that's all._ She got out of the bed and slowly opened the door before walking across the hall.

His door was slightly ajar. She nudged it open just enough so that she could slip inside. Hiccup was lying on his belly fast asleep on his queen-sized mattress. His room was a mess and Toothless was lying down on a pile of dirty clothes. She tiptoed to his side of the bed and stopped when she saw his face. He was so peaceful when he was asleep.

All the wrinkles in his forehead from the frowning where gone and he looked so at ease. She nudged his shoulder before whispering into his ear, "Hiccup? Hiccup wake up."

He groaned and barely opened his eyes but when he saw her he quickly became more attentive.

"Astrid? Is everything alright?" he asked.

"It's pretty cold in my room."

"Oh. Did you want some extra sheets?"

She looked down at her feet before asking in a shaky voice, "Actually, I was hoping that I could stay here with you. I would hate for you to get up."

"It's no problem, I can easily-"

"Hiccup, please."

Hiccup looked up at her and with the moonlight, he saw some shiny tears on her cheek. It was probably for the best that he didn't mention it this time.

"Of course."

He then opened up the blankets as if inviting her into his warm cocoon.

She settled with her back up against his chest and he placed his arm over her. They were spooning. She had done this a few times with Scott, but it had never felt as warm and inviting as it did right now with Hiccup.

"Better?" he whispered into her ear.

She smiled to herself and said, "Better."

She then closed her eyes and was able to feel safe in the arms of her loving boyfriend.

She had no more nightmares for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **So I hope this chapter was okay. Might not have been the best, grammatically, but I wanted to get it out. I'll see you guys next Sunday!**


	14. Chapter 14

**So, I'm a little late. I'm sorry. There is a slight possibility that I will update next week because I know that most of you won't like how this chapter ends. And I know how everyone hates it when they are left with something like this at the end of a chapter and have to wait weeks to get an update. I won't spoil anything, but I'll try to get an update next Sunday. I based this chapter kind off of what happened to one of my close friends. She used to be abused and I asked her if I could use her experience in this story. (She said yes by the way and she is no longer getting abused.)**

* * *

Chapter 14: Trust

Astrid slowly stirred as she woke up. She blinked a few times to get rid of the bleariness in her eyes. The sunlight was streaming in through the window at the front of the room and shun upon the green walls of the room. Astrid's eyes suddenly widened and fear struck her. _Wait a minute; this isn't my room,_ she thought. She didn't have a window at the front of her room and her walls were blue. Then her eyes fell down to the arm wrapped around her and she realized where she was. Relief flooded her body as she snuggled deeper into the cocoon of her boyfriend's arms.

She turned over just enough so that she could face him. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. The frown that was almost always on his face was gone. In all honesty, she thought that he was the hottest guy she had ever seen. The only thing that frustrated her was the fact that she hadn't seen it sooner. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck but winced as her eye socket pressed against him.

Astrid brought a shaky hand up between them to touch the edge of her eye socket. She flinched as soon as her fingers grazed her skin. Then she remembered the rest of last night: the fast-flying fists and sound of a belt slicing through the air. She squeezed her eyes shut as if she could hide from the pain and suffering. She ignored the fact that her eye was basically screaming at her. It was definitely swollen. It probably looked like an overgrown grape. Thank God that today was a Saturday. She was eternally grateful that she didn't have to show up to school like this. Sure, makeup could hide the color, but people would notice if her eye was basically popping out of her skull.

 _Oh God,_ she thought, _What am I going to say to Hiccup?_ She knew that if Hiccup found out, he would no doubt try to intervene and get the police involved. She could take care of herself; she was a big girl and has handled him for the past few years. She can take a few more months. She decided that she would just tell him that she didn't want to tell him. Astrid would tell him that she could handle herself and didn't need his help. But she felt a bit guilty. He had done so much for her last night. He had cleaned her up and given a place to stay, but some things are best left undiscovered.

She carefully untangled herself from Hiccup's arms before sitting up on the edge of the bed. Hiccup's room was incredible. It was just as big as all the other rooms in the enormous house. He had a huge HD TV mounted on the wall. He had a few posters of motorcycles around his room. They were all sports bikes that looked amazing. There was one poster with a bike on it that was circled with red sharpie. Next to the circle was a note that read, _Dream Bike: Kawasaki Ninja H2 Black_. It was Hiccup's dream bike. Astrid never knew that Hiccup was into motorcycles. He always seemed so calm and laid back. She never expected him to be someone…daring. The thought of Hiccup in a leather jacket on a sports bike made her chest pang.

She carefully got up from the bed and tiptoed over to his desk. There was a computer, some books, and a couple of scattered papers. Nothing out of the ordinary. Her eyes fell upon a book with a leather cover with a string that held it shut. She bit her lip before checking over her shoulder to make sure that Hiccup was still asleep. She picked up the journal and removed the string. She gasped at what was inside. The pages were filled with detailed sketches of different things. On one page, she found a sketch of his car. On another, she found a sketch of a motorcycle. She flipped through the pages. Every single sketch never failed to amaze her. _Hiccup_ never failed to amaze her. She went through every page but stopped on one particular sketch that made her breath hitch. It was a drawing of her. She was sitting down in a desk at school. Her chin was rested on her hands. She looked bored. Astrid realized that he must have drawn this while they were in class. Her heart sunk at the fact that he had always noticed her, but she had never noticed him. She silently cursed herself.

The detail in the drawing was breathtaking. Even thought it was done in pencil, Astrid could see the way her eyes popped in the picture. Her hair was drawn in a braid and her face had depth and definition. Honestly, she wanted to keep the picture. But she knew Hiccup would never let her have it. He would probably say something along the lines of, "Oh. That's not good enough." or "No, Astrid. I-It's not my best drawing." She hated the way that he would always degrade himself. If only he could see how amazing he is: smart, funny, charming, sarcastic, and handsome. But she supposed that his low self-esteem was partly her fault. She never stood up for him when fucking Scott would bully him. Hell, the only reason he went by "Hiccup" was because Scott had given him that name all those years ago.

That day, six years ago, was when his life fell apart. It was the day that hanging out with Hiccup was no longer acceptable. And Astrid hated herself for going along with it. She heard the rustling of sheets behind her and she checked over her shoulder to see Hiccup stirring in his sleep. She put his sketchbook back onto the desk and tiptoed back over to his bed before crawling back in with him. She lay down before turning over so that she was facing him. She could stare at him all day, but it was already getting close to noon and they should start getting up. She kissed his nose, which, in turn, caused him to stir and mutter something in his sleep. She kissed his nose again and again and again until he finally blinked his eyes open.

When his eyes fell upon her, she smiled at him. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," she said.

He chuckled before saying, "Aaaasssstrriiiddd, it's too early to get up."

She rolled over to check the clock before facing him again. "Hiccup, it's almost noon."

Hiccup turned away from her so that he was facing the other way. "Exactly. It's too early."

Astrid rolled her eyes before punching him in the shoulder. "You better get up now. Or else bad things will happen."

Hiccup rolled his eyes before muttering, "Oh really? Like what?"

Astrid bit her lip before saying, "Like this." Then she pushed him off the bed. She heard him squeal as he hit the floor.

Astrid was laughing beyond control. "You seriously suck," he said as he groaned. He perked his head up just so he could see above the mattress. Before Astrid knew it, Hiccup was grabbing her and pulling her to the ground with him. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't resist her boyfriend's pull. They started to wrestle around on the ground and ended up in a tangled pile of bed sheets and limbs. When their laughter finally subsided, Astrid realized how close they were. Their little wrestling session had rolled them tightly into a blanket. She couldn't even move any of her limbs.

Astrid felt a faint blush come across her cheeks as she felt his morning… _present_. She squirmed in an attempt to move away, but ended up making matters worse by rubbing against it. Her brain was paying more attention to his _excitement_ than it should have. She didn't want to pay attention to his bulge, but it seems that her brain had other plans. _Well. That's… interesting. There's no way it's… that big. No way. There's definitely something wrong. Maybe his pants were bundled up above it? Because there is no way he is that big. Everyone says that Scott has the biggest in the school, but compared to this, then Scott might as well be a tic tac. If Hiccup's really that big, then how on Earth is he going to fit inside me? Oh shit, I'm thinking too far ahead,_ she thought.

Hiccup must have known what she was thinking because his face turned to a shade of crimson. "Uh. S-Sorry. Uhmm, maybe if you- or if you could get your hand out and- oh crap," he said.

Astrid giggled a little bit. She rolled over him so that they would come untangled from the sheets and his limbs. It seemed that she had just discovered that one of his limbs was very un-proportional to his skinny frame. She subconsciously licked her lips.

When they finally sat up on the floor, they were silent for about a minute. Hiccup was still blushing like a tomato while Astrid's mind wouldn't focus on anything but-

"So did you want to go grab breakfast?" Hiccup asked, interrupting her thoughts. Astrid smiled at him, relieved that she could finally think about something else.

"Yeah, sure. Isn't there an Ihop around here?"

"Mhmm. I'm going to shower really quick before we go. You can too, if you want," he said.

Astrid quirked an eyebrow at his ill thought out statement. His eyes widened at his suggestion.

"Oh! I didn't mean like that! I mean there's another shower down the hall if you wanted to shower. I didn't mean to insinuate that you would want to shower with me. I mean it's not like I want to shower with you either. Wait, that came out wrong. I would love to shower with you. WAIT! That's not what I meant either-"

Hiccup was suddenly cut off by a pair of lips meeting his. He slowly melted into the kiss as he cupped her cheek. When they finally broke away, Astrid smiled at him and said, "Stop talking so much."

Then she stood up and went to the bathroom across the hall. Hiccup just sighed in relief. He went over to his closet to get some clothes. He settled on khaki shorts and a black t-shirt. They were just going for breakfast, after all. As he let the hot water run down his body, he couldn't stop his thoughts from drifting over to how Astrid looked last night. Something really bad must have happened to her. She was covered in bruises and cuts and honestly, it scared him. It also infuriated him. He was mad at whatever scumbag did that to her and he was mad that Astrid wouldn't let him help her in this.

Hiccup didn't understand why she would let herself suffer through all of this alone. He knows that she can take care of herself, but that doesn't mean that she has to go through this alone. Hiccup wants to be there for her, but he knows that he can't if she won't let him. He had to talk to her about this over breakfast. He knew that she would get pissed at him for being so pushy, but he can't stand to see her like this. But she trusts him, so it will be okay. Right? He trusted her, but she never really said that she trusted him…

Hiccup chose to leave that thought aside. Nothing good can ever come from thinking like that. He got dressed before heading downstairs to find Astrid waiting for him. She was tapping her foot on the ground with her arms crossed. She had already showered and gotten ready. She was able to cover her black eye fairly well.

"Took you long enough," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, sorry. Just… thinking," he replied with a frown.

She approached him and grabbed his hand before intertwining their fingers. "What about?"

"Just… We'll talk about it when we get there," he said.

"Okay," she replied with a frown. Astrid wondered what had gotten into his mind. They spent the entire walk there in silence. It really started to worry Astrid because Hiccup was always chatty. When they finally arrived, a waitress showed them to a booth. They both ordered their food before returning to the silence they had during their walk. Astrid finally broke the silence. She couldn't take her boyfriend's abnormal silence anymore.

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" she asked. He looked up at her with concern on his face. _At least he isn't mad at me_ , she thought.

"Astrid, you know just as well as I do what's wrong."

 _Oh God,_ she thought. She took a slow sip from her drink. She had hoped that they wouldn't talk about this, about what happened to her. She didn't understand why he had to be so pushy at the subject. Doesn't he understand that she can take care of herself? But honestly, how could they have avoided talking about this. It was the elephant in the room. And it was a huge ass elephant.

She sighed. "Hiccup, why can't we just leave this alone."

"Have you seen your face, Astrid?" he asked in a hushed, but firm, tone.

"Oh, did I put lipstick in the wrong place?" She tried to push the subject away by using some humor. But it didn't work.

"That's not funny, Astrid. This is serious. You could have a concussion. You came to my house in the middle of the night looking all beaten up and I don't even get an explanation to any of this?" he said with an assertive tone.

She glared at him. "Why can't you just understand that I can take care of myself?" she asked in an aggressive tone. She knew that he was only trying to help, but still. She didn't know why, but she just wasn't comfortable around the subject with him. Astrid didn't want Hiccup thinking of her as weak.

He sighed and fell back into his chair before running his hand down his face. "You know that's not what I meant, Astrid."

"Oh really? Because with your sarcasm, I can never understand if you're being serious or not," she snapped at him. She regretted saying those words. Sarcasm was a part of Hiccup. Hiccup wasn't Hiccup without his sarcasm. It was one of the things she loved most about him. She found his sarcasm amusing. He made her laugh all the time. So when she said those words, she knew that she hurt him. She could see it in his eyes. His firm defense had crumbled.

"I-I know that you can take care of yourself. I-It's just that you don't have to go through this alone," he said as he took her hand into his. She pulled back away from him. It hurt her to do so. But she would never allow herself to look weak in front of him. The only way to hide her deep sadness was to show anger instead. She never realized how much she was hurting him.

"I don't need _your_ help, Hiccup," she said as she looked away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his expression fall even more. He even sunk back further into his seat. Hiccup felt defeated. He thought that Astrid could trust him with this.

"Do you- Do you not trust me, Astrid? Do you think that I will go against your wishes and just do whatever I want, Astrid? Is that really what you think of me?" he asked in a hurt tone.

She sighed. Maybe she should tell him because she trusted him more than anyone else. She trusted him with her life. If he doesn't think she trusts him, then maybe she did go a little too far. His self-esteem wasn't exactly the strongest, thanks to Scott, so the things she was saying were really hurting him. _I'll just apologize and explain everything to him,_ she thought. "Hiccup, I do-"

Then his expression changed. He sat back up and narrowed his eyes again. His defenses had finally recovered from the constant blows to his self-esteem.

"You know what, Astrid? I always thought that you trusted me. I mean, for crying out loud, you ditched school to confess your feelings for me and you came to my house in the middle of the night. I thought that you really did trust me. What have I ever done to lose your trust?" Hiccup was on the verge of tears. But he wouldn't let himself fall apart now.

"No, Hiccup! I do, it's just-" she said. She was starting to get really nervous and _scared_. This was not where she wanted this conversation to go.

"Astrid, if you don't trust me, then what the hell are we even doing here?! I trusted you with everything! I told you things I've never told anyone before, things that I'm not proud of, things that are embarrassing! And yet, you still can't trust me?" Astrid could see that his expression was full of sadness and regret instead of anger. She was on the verge of tears, herself. She could see where this conversation was going.

"Hiccup, please don't. You don't understand-" she said as she started to silently sob.

"You never gave me the chance to understand, Astrid."

He sighed as he rubbed his temples. His voice returned to his normal tone. "Listen, Astrid. I love you and all, but relationships are built on trust. I always thought that we were in a relationship."

"We are, Hiccup! I love you!" she said.

He sighed again. "I-I really want to believe you. Look, I think we should take a break from all of this," he said as he gestured between them.

"But you just gestured to us," she whispered.

"Exactly. I-I just want to give you your space. I know that you want your space. I was stupid to think that you would want my help in this. You can clearly handle yourself in this," he said without looking at her.

 _No, Hiccup! I want your help! I just couldn't think of how to tell you!_ she thought. But she wasn't able to turn her thoughts into words.

"If at the end of what you're going through, you still want to be with me, then I will gladly come back to your side if you'll let me. But right now, I don't think you trust me and this just won't work without that trust."

 _No, please Hiccup. Don't do this…_ she thought. But her tongue was frozen and she couldn't force her lips to move.

"So I think it's best if we just leave each other alone for a bit. We should give each other our space to think." He sighed before standing up and placing a 50 dollar bill on the table.

"That should cover the cost of breakfast." He looked at her one last time; her sapphire eyes meeting his emerald eyes. "I love you," he said before walking to the door.

"Hiccup, wait…" she said. But he didn't turn around. Once he was already outside the doors, she whispered, "I need you." The dam that held back her tears broke and her face became overrun by a river of tears.

* * *

 **I know, I know. But believe me, this will all turn out for the better. Just remember… HICCSTRID! I'll try to get another chapter out next week. So, a lot of you might be thinking, "Why won't Astrid just tell him, already?" because that's the exact same thing I was thinking when I was listening to my friend retell her story. I asked her and she said that it was because she did not want to look weak and was afraid of letting people in because of how they would see her. So anyways, until next time!**


	15. Chapter 15

Ahh! Two days late! I know and I'm so sorry. Thank you all for all the reviews/follows/favs! It really means so much to me! I just want to let you all know that there is a chance that the next chapter might be late again, but I just want everyone to know that I will not stop writing! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. See you next time!

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Chapter 15: Regrets

Hiccup woke up with a groan. He had hardly slept the entire night. He felt like the biggest idiot to ever walk the face of the Earth. It took him all of two minutes to end the greatest thing that he's ever had in his life: _Astrid_. How could he have been so _stupid_? She obviously didn't want to talk about what was wrong and she was clearly uncomfortable about the subject. _So why did I keep pushing?_ he thought. He slowly sat up in bed and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He let his vision come into focus as he glanced at the clock. 8:30AM. Hiccup was usually never up this early on a Sunday, but he didn't exactly fall asleep last night.

Seeing no point in trying to go back to sleep, Hiccup got up and started up the shower. He tried thinking about what he was going to do today. _Let's see. I'll make myself breakfast, probably watch some TV, then work on the car a bit, and then I'll probably go hang out with Ast- I'll just work on the car some more._

No matter how hard he tried, Hiccup couldn't stop thinking about her. And he really didn't want to. The look on her face when he left made him want to run over to her house and just apologize for being such an idiot. But she probably wouldn't want to see him. Hell, she's probably moved on already. She's _Astrid Hofferson._ Hiccup was surprised that she hadn't found someone better than him by now.

 _I should have understood her discomfort. For fuck's sake, I'm her boyfriend! I should have been able to see it clearly. Well I guess I_ was _her boyfriend._ He sighed heavily as he climbed into the scalding hot water.

0000

Astrid tossed and turned throughout the night. It was 5 in the morning and she still couldn't sleep. She felt like an idiot. _Hiccup was right_ , she thought. She really should have trusted him. He was just about the most reliable person she knew. And it really hurt when she remembered that _they_ were no longer. She should have just told him. She should have just let it out. But she couldn't. As much as she wanted to, she just _couldn't_. What would he think of her if he found out? She knew that he never judged anyone for anything, but still. He would obviously act different at something like this, right?

She never thought it would end like that. She felt her heart leave with him when he got up and left. She felt empty without him. Astrid never thought she could ever feel this way. When she dumped Scott, all she felt was relief. But with Hiccup, she felt like she would fall apart any second now. She shouldn't be thinking about him and she knew it. _He_ was the one that ended things and he clearly didn't want to be with her anymore. All this time she thought that she was being a good girlfriend. She really loved him and she really thought that he loved her. But maybe she was too harsh. Was it the constant punching? She thought that it was playful and he never seemed to mind it.

But he mentioned trust. He said that she didn't trust him. But she trusted him more than _anyone_ in the entire world. She trusted him with her heart. But the fact that he didn't think she trusted him really tore her apart. She knew that he trusted her. She just never knew he didn't think she trusted him. She gave up trying to fall back asleep. She simply huffed at the ceiling and sat up in bed. It was obvious that sleep wouldn't come her way, so she just threw the covers up and got out of bed. She was supposed to go to his house today, but she guessed that those plans were cancelled. She thought that maybe she could move on, just like she moved on from Scott, but honestly, she wanted no one other than Hiccup. No one even _compared_ to him.

Hiccup was probably relieved that she wasn't his _burden_ anymore. He probably already found someone else by now. Oh God, what if he started dating Heather? If Astrid saw Heather with Hiccup, she might just have to avoid them for the rest of her life. _I should have just told him_ , she thought.

0000

Hiccup didn't know why his hands were shaking. He's done this dozens of times before. All he had to do was tighten the bolts in his engine. He's done it before. So why were his hands shaking now. His chest felt constricted and he had a hard time breathing. Then his mind floated over to Astrid. Five minutes. It was the longest he'd gone the entire day without thinking of Astrid. Astrid with her soft blonde hair that she always wore in a braid, Astrid with her beautiful ocean blue eyes, Astrid who was the girl that he loved, Astrid the girl that he had left because he was an idiot. Hiccup felt angry, not at her, but at himself.

He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't keep doing this. Nothing he did could distract him from her. Suddenly, he threw the wrench at the wall before burying his hands in his hair. He felt the tears slowly come down his cheeks. _What have I done_? he thought. Hiccup then remembered what Astrid had told him last week. _I'm going to have a softball game next Sunday and it's a pretty big game for us. I was wondering if you would come out to support me?_ Hiccup remembered her words very clearly. Even though he might have made the biggest mistake in his life, he was still going to support her. He grabbed his jacket and hopped into his car.

0000

Honestly, Astrid didn't want to go to her softball game. She felt horrible. She felt weak. As she looked at herself in the mirror with bloodshot eyes from crying all day, Astrid couldn't help but think of Hiccup. She couldn't help but think of his crooked grin that she adored so much, his green eyes that turned her into mush, and his auburn hair that she loved to comb her fingers through.

She really didn't want to go to her game. Her skills and strength would be off and she would probably blow the game for the team. She wished that Hiccup would be there. Every time she looked towards the bleachers, she would see him there. She could never hold back her smile at the sight of him. He was always there for her. But now he wouldn't be. Another tear came down her cheek as she grabbed her back and headed out the door. She quickly wiped away any trace of her tears as she opened the door to Ruff's car. As she climbed into the car, she noticed the look that Ruff was giving her. It was a look that she didn't want from _anyone_ : sympathy. She had called Ruff earlier that day simply because she needed some human interaction. Astrid told her everything.

Ruffnut had seen how happy her friend had been with Hiccup. It honestly hurt her to see her friend in such a bad mood. She thought that Astrid and Hiccup would really go far, but she supposed that she must have been wrong.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ruff asked as she pulled away from the curb.

"Ruff, can we please just get to the game?" Astrid said with a shaky, but bitter, voice.

"Okay."

The rest of the car ride was silent. When they finally reached the school, Ruffnut spared a glance towards Astrid. She was staring at the window and looked as if all happiness had been drained from her body.

"We're here," Ruff finally said.

"I noticed," Astrid responded before opening the door and grabbing her bag from the trunk. She then stormed off to the locker rooms where the rest of the team would be. After the coach gave a motivational speech to the team, which Astrid hardly listened to, they walked over to the benches and got their gear ready.

Astrid really did not feel like playing today. She walked over to Coach Gobber and told him that she had a bit of a stomachache and asked if she could sit the first inning out. He reluctantly agreed before sending Ruffnut out to bat first. She then remembered what she had told Hiccup last week. She told him about her game today and how she could use his support here. Surely he wouldn't be here now. He was probably off with some other girl.

But still, she couldn't help but hope. She cautiously turned her head so that she could just barely see the benches out of the corner of her eye. In the bleachers, next to Fishlegs, was an auburn haired boy. She turned her head some more and saw that Hiccup was sitting next to Fishlegs. He was here, like he said he would be last week. But something was wrong. From the side of the bleachers, she saw _Heather_ walking towards them. Hiccup turned to greet her and he smiled at her, but she was grateful to see the smile didn't reach his eyes. He looked…distressed. Astrid saw Heather start talking to Hiccup and she felt her heart shatter even more. _He must have moved on_ , Astrid thought.

No, she must be hallucinating. She didn't drink any water today, right? She must be dehydrated and delusional. But wait, she drank from her bottle a few minutes ago. She stared at him with wide eyes until he finally noticed her stare. He looked over to her and smiled a bit before she noticed how his eyes were full of regret and longing. _Could he be regretting- no, he's probably just regretting the fact that he didn't break up with me sooner_ , she thought. She then turned back so that she was watching the game.

She couldn't take the fact that he was there and the fact that he was watching. She couldn't take it. It hurt too much to know that the man she loved was here with _Heather_.

"Coach," she said shakily.

"Ye' Astrid?"

"I-I really don't feel well. Can I go to the bathroom?"

He gave her a skeptical look but waved his hand to let her leave. Without another word, she got up and ran to the bathroom. She was barely able to hold back the tears in her eyes. She didn't notice the looks that the people in the bleachers were giving her, she didn't notice the looks her teammates gave her, and she didn't notice that Hiccup came after her.

0000

When Astrid finally reached the bathroom, she made sure that no one else was in there. Lucky for her, the bathroom was completely empty. She ran to the closest stall and shut the door before letting the tears run down her face. She slid down the wall until she was sitting down on the bathroom floor. She didn't like the fact that Hiccup was here with another girl and most of all, she didn't like the idea of Hiccup being with Heather. She let out another sob at the thought.

Then she heard the bathroom door open. She quickly wiped her cheeks with her sleeve before saying, "Whoever you are, p-please get out right now!"

She cursed herself for not being able to avoid a stutter. Then she heard a voice: a voice that was slightly nasally. The voice that made her heart flutter even now in her weakest state.

"A-Astrid?"

She gave a heavy sigh. "What are you doing here, Hiccup?"

He then walked over and opened the stall. She cursed herself again for not locking the door. She looked up at him and saw him looking down at her with those same eyes full of longing and regret.

"I came to see you."

"Why? So that you can tell me how amazing the other girl is?" She knew it was stupid to accuse him of being here in the bathroom for that reason, but she wanted to know if he already moved on.

"What other girl? Are you talking about _Heather?_ Astrid, she just came over to say hi to us. I'm not here for her. I'm here for you. I came to this game to support _you_." He then knelt down so that he was at her level. "Astrid," he said before grabbing her chin and turning her face to him. "I am so, so sorry. I was an idiot. I didn't know what I was thinking; I shouldn't have pressured you. I should have _listened_ to you. The only thing that I could think about this entire day was how stupid I am for ending things with you. Astrid, please, I am so sorry."

Astrid's mouth was slightly open and her eyes were wide. It took her a moment to process all this.

"W-What are you trying to say Hiccup?" she asked. She really, really hoped that he wanted to be with her again. She hoped that they could forget about what happened and that he would still want to be with her. He cupped her cheek before saying, "I-I should have never broken up with you, Astrid. It was a mistake. W-Will you take me back?"

She knew what her answer was. She knew what she would say. But her mouth didn't want to move. She saw his eyes drop and his entire expression fall. His hand left her cheek and she shivered at the loss of his warm hand on her cheek.

He sighed before saying, "I…I understand. I screwed up big-time and I understand why-"

He was cut off by lips crashing into his. His eyes widened in shock but then he melted into the kiss as his eyes closed. He basked in the warmth and familiarity of her lips against his. She broke the kiss a little too soon for his taste but was relieved when she hugged him.

"Yes, Hiccup, I'll take you back. I love you. You know that right?" she asked.

"Well, I do now," he said with sarcasm. Astrid punched him lightly and felt her heart flutter when he chuckled. He then gently pushed here away so that she was sitting in front of him. He grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"But, Astrid."

"Yeah?"

"I know you don't want to tell me what's wrong, but I'll tell you this. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but I just want you to know that you aren't alone in this."

He then grabbed her hands before saying, "We will get through this. Together."

She smiled as another tear slid down her cheek. She then jumped into his arms before kissing him again.

0000

Since the next chapter is probably going to be late, I decided to end this chapter on a good note. Thank you all!


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh my goodness. I cannot believe how late this chapter is. I'm so sorry guys! We started school this week and I guess that I'm still adjusting to waking up at 6 in the morning. Anyways, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 200 REVIEWS! I never expected this story to get that many reviews and I thank every single one of you. I will try to get another chapter out on time. For now though, while I'm still kind of adjusting, I might be a little inconsistent with my updates. Thanks guys!**

Chapter 16: Together Again

"We will get through this. Together," Hiccup had said. He wanted Astrid to trust him. He wanted that more than anything. But he had become greedy. It used to be that talking to _the_ Astrid Hofferson was more than he could ever ask for. But now, he was dating her, something that he had only imagined in his dreams, and yet he had become greedy with her trust rather than helping her through what was clearly a distressing time for her.

So as they sat inside of the dirty, smelly bathroom stall of the girl's bathroom, Hiccup swore that he would only support from here on out. He would beat himself up if he did otherwise, literally. He would probably punch himself in the gut if it kept him from stepping out of line.

So when she gave him a smile that could light up the night sky and kissed him with those soft lips that he had become addicted to, he gave her a silent promise that he would support her.

After a couple of seconds, Hiccup pulled away. He remembered why they were even in the bathroom stall. Outside of the school walls was a softball game that Astrid had to get back to. He almost completely forgot about her rambling on about how big this game was going to be for them.

"Come on, Astrid. We don't want your team to lose, do we?" he said as he got up. "Plus it wouldn't come off well if a girl came in only to see a guy in here."

He stretched out a hand to help her up. She grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. Hiccup felt every little cell in his entire arm jump at the contact with her skin.

"Right. We should go," she said as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"No, you should go. You can run way faster than me and Gobber will for sure give me a beating if he sees me slowing you down," Hiccup said with a chuckle.

Astrid hesitated a bit. Hiccup rolled his eyes before saying, "Go on, I'll be right behind you."

She bit her lip and kissed him on the cheek before running out the stall and through the bathroom door.

Hiccup took a deep breath and walked out of the girl's bathroom. The hallways were completely empty with the only lighting being the sunlight from outside. He looked around and just barely caught sight of Astrid turning a corner.

He quickly followed, but didn't want to run. He would be all sweaty and gross by the time he got back to the benches. Hiccup decided to just stuff his hands in his pockets before walking through the halls. He then started to wonder what was bugging Astrid so much. Usually, if she is pissed off about something, then she'll just rant on about how stupid it is to him. But this time was different, so this time it's serious. _Really_ serious. He knew that much.

She'll tell him in her own time, hopefully. But for now, it was time for him to go back out there and support his girlfriend. _Girlfriend_. It still felt weird for Hiccup to think of Astrid as his girlfriend. He would have never imagined that a clumsy dork like him could get an amazing person like Astrid.

When he finally made it outside, he walked over to the bleachers and sat back down next to Fishlegs.

"Did I miss anything?" Hiccup asked.

Without even looking his way, Fishlegs shook his head and said, "No not really. We scored another point, though. But we are still two runs behind."

Hiccup chuckled to himself. "Don't worry, Fish. I'm sure that Ruff and Astrid will clean this all up."

Fishlegs quirked his mouth before saying, "But Hiccup, Astrid has been like completely off her game since… well since you know what."

"No, no, Fish. It's all right now. I apologized to her and we're back together now. I was being stupid."

"Ah. I knew you would do that. I estimated a 90% chance that you would run after her when she went into the school."

Hiccup patted his friend on the back before saying, "Well, you estimated right, for once."

Hiccup looked back down to the benches where Astrid and her team were. He was able to catch her eye and sneak a wave, which she eagerly returned. Fishlegs glanced between his friend and Astrid before saying, "You're right. She seems a lot better now."

Astrid smiled at him before scowling. Hiccup was confused at first but noticed that Heather was walking towards him, _again_.

"Heyy, Hiccy," she said as she plopped down next to him. "Exciting game isn't it?"

"I guess?"

Heather nudged him with her shoulder. "Aww don't worry, I'm sure that your _ex_ -girlfriend won't mess this up for all of us."

That's when Hiccup's head snapped to her direction and glared at her. "Who told you that?"

"Told me what?" Heather asked with an innocent tone.

"That Astrid and I broke up," Hiccup said with a frown on his face.

Heather raised her hands in a surrender position. "It's not important, Hiccy. Just remember that I'm here for you."

She tried to place one of her hands on top of his, but Hiccup quickly jolted his hand back.

"Astrid and I are back together now. It was _my_ fault."

"Come on, Hiccup. She is so unstable. You can't be in a stable relationship with someone unstable. She doesn't deserve you."

Hiccup thought for a moment before saying, "You're right." Heather then gave a triumphant smirk.

"She deserves _better_ than me." The smirk on Heather's face quickly fell as Hiccup stood up. He looked over to his friend who seemed very uncomfortable before saying, "Come on, Fish. Let's move somewhere else."

Fishlegs quickly nodded in agreement before standing up as well. They stepped down the bleachers until they reached the bottom row, albeit Fishlegs had a bit of difficulty. They were sitting down right in front of the team's dugout. Hiccup was just about to say hi to Astrid, but she was already getting ready to bat. She seemed a little troubled, so Hiccup cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "FINISH THIS, ASTRID!"

She seemed startled and first and searched the crowd. She finally caught Hiccup's eye and gave him a warm smile before running out towards the home plate. The bases were loaded. If she was able to get a home run, then the Hooligans would be able to take the lead.

The crowd waited in anticipation. Everyone held his or her breath as soon as the ball left the pitcher's hand. Hiccup watched as Astrid's bat struck the ball. The ball flew through the air and Astrid took off in a sprint towards first base. By the time she reached the first base, the ball had landed outside of the field. The crowd cheered and roared Astrid's name. She came around the bases in a slow jog with her hands held high in the air as she gave her teammates, who were lined up from third base to home plate, high fives.

When she got back into the dugout, Astrid heard rustle of the cage from behind her. Hiccup was standing there smiling at her.

"That was an amazing hit, Astrid!"

She grinned at him, before saying, "Thanks, babe. But my follow through was off. I angled it wrong and-"

"Blah, blah, blah. Astrid you hit a home run! You gave the Hooligans the lead. I'm so happy for you!" he said.

"Thanks, babe."

Hiccup nodded and walked back to the bleachers. As soon as he sat down, Fishlegs said, "You're right. She's all better now."

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After the game, the softball team took pictures with their giant trophy from the game. The final score had been 20-9 with the Hooligans winning. Astrid had score a home run on almost every single one of her hits. And every single time, Hiccup would come up to her and tell her what an amazing hit it was. It warmed her heart every time.

After all the pictures, Hiccup and Astrid walked away from the field hand in hand. They enjoyed a comfortable silence as they walked down the sidewalk to the parking lot.

Hiccup finally decided to break the silence. "So, who gave you a ride?"

"Oh, Ruff gave me a ride, since I didn't have you to take me." Astrid didn't say it in an accusing tone, but rather in just a factual tone. Still, Hiccup felt a pang of guilt. She then looked around before saying, "I don't know where she is, though."

"Hey. If you want, I can give you a ride home."

She looked up at him and smiled. "That'd be great. Thanks." She leaned up on her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek.

As they walked to his car, Hiccup stopped for a moment. "Wait. You _do_ want to go home right?" He still didn't know what was bugging her. But if it was a domestic problem, then he wanted to make sure she was comfortable going home.

She chuckled and said, "Yes, babe. I'll be fine."

When they finally reached the car, Hiccup popped open the trunk for her things. She was about to lift up her bags before he placed his hand on hers to stop her. "Here, you must be exhausted. Let me get these for you." Normally, Astrid would protest saying she could do it herself. But he was right. She was totally pooped. She thanked him before climbing into the passenger seat of his car.

Hiccup followed soon after.

When they finally reached the Hofferson household, Hiccup turned to her. He was about to say something, but hesitated. Astrid decided to ignore it, for now.

"Thanks for the ride, Hiccup. I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yeah, for sure."

As she opened the door, Hiccup popped the trunk before climbing out as well. He took out her bags and walked with her to her door before dropping her stuff on the porch.

"Hey Hiccup?"

"Yeah?"

Hiccup was surprised when she gave him a hug. She rested her head right above his heart.

"Thank you. For everything." Hiccup then wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"For you, anything."

When they finally broke their hug, Hiccup gave her a quick kiss before turning to his car.

As he started to walk away, Astrid said, "I love you."

He looked over his shoulder and said, "I love you too. I'll see you tomorrow."

As he pulled away from the curb, she waved at him one last time. When he waved back, she picked up her bags and opened the door.

0000

Ugh. Once again, sorry about the short chapter. See you guys next time!


	17. READ

Hey guys. Well, as you can probably tell, this isn't a chapter. And I absolutely hate when this kind of thing happens, but I just have to let you guys know that my stories will be on a temporary hiatus. That doesn't mean that I will stop completely, it just means that I need a break. I've had a lot of stuff going on lately and I haven't had the time or motivation to write. So I know that this must be really disappointing, but I just wanted to let you guys know. See you guys whenever!

-Let The Time Fly


	18. UPDATE

Hi all!

I know, I know. It's been... a very very long time. And I'm sorry. Believe me I am! But truth be told, I actually ended up not being pleased with how this story came out. I feel as if I rushed the relationship between Astrid and Hiccup WAY too fast. And that kind of goes against what I like because the thing about Hiccstrid fanfics that I love is the relationship development.

In all honesty, I also lost interest in the whole fandom. I just started losing inspiration. But a couple weeks ago, I watched the last season of RTTE and I just fell in love all over again.

So I just wanted to let you guys know. So as such, I think I'm going to rewrite the story so that it is more cohesive and more realistic. I started writing when I was a sophomore and well I'm at the end of my senior year! So hopefully I have more time for you guys!

Here's the plan. I've got a bunch of ideas buzzing around in my head so while I get the new version of ANKOD written up, I'll probably release some drabbles here and there. You can see a new piece of writing from me (hopefully) this weekend. Assuming that everything falls in a timely manner, I should have the first few chapters of ANKOD ready to go next weekend. Just a fair warning for you all, it might be quite a bit different than what it is now so I hope you all enjoy it when it comes out.

As for Servitude, I loved the concept of it in the beginning. But I didn't really see a storyline for it that could be carried out. It was more of a "wow look at crazy badass Hiccup." So that one will stay on Hiatus for a bit longer until I figure out where I want to go with it.

ALRIGHT. Crazy long A/N, I know. But I feel as if you guys deserved an explanation. Thanks again for sticking around and I'll see you all soon!


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